It’s back to school season my friends. If you have kids in school, then you know about this lovely time. The school lists are out and you need to head out to get supplies if you haven’t already. What happens if you don’t get a school list though? Do you know what school supplies you will need to purchase in order to be ready for the first day?
Since my son goes to school in a few weeks, I figured I would look around for a good guide based on the grades. I didn’t see one I liked, so that’s why I created a back to school supplies list. The best part is this breaks down by grade for you, so you only have to look for the grade your child is in. Let’s make back to school shopping a little easier!
With the help of school supply lists on Amazon, you can locate and understand what you need to bring for each grade. These lists do not include clothing or even backpacks. We know we need something to carry school supplies in, so make sure to get a backpack.
The two places doing the best deals are going to be Walmart and Amazon. These two are huge sites to score back to school deals each and every year. Also, don’t forget to sign up for Ebates in order to get cash back when you shop.
Without further ado, here are the suggested back to school shopping lists*. You can also click the grades below to go to the appropriate section.
Pre-K through 2nd Grades | 3rd Grade | 4th through 6th Grade | 7th and 8th Grade | 9th through 12th Grades
*If you need these to go shopping, here is an easy downloadable version.
Pre-K Through 2nd Grade
Since these four grades don’t require a different variety of supplies, so we are going to push them together. Depending on your school, you might not need to get many supplies, but here are what we suggest for these four grades. These back to school supplies are the basics to get any child through the year. You can probably get away with the bare essentials here. You can also use the links below to shop for all the supplies for each grade (the quality increases as the grades go up).
Pre-K | Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade
- Pencils
- Colored Pencils
- Erasers
- Pencil Sharpeners
- Crayons
- Washable Markers
- Dry Erase Markers
- Pencil Cases
- Notebooks
- Construction Paper
- Folders
- Kid’s Scissors
- Glue
- Watercolors
- Disinfecting Supplies
- Plastic Storage
3rd Grade
While some of the supplies are similar to the lower grades, here are a few more additions to the list to help you get prepared for the step up to 3rd grade. There are 21 suggested items for this grade, so hopefully these help. If your supplies from lower grades are still usable, then bring them with your child. No need to purchase stuff you really don’t need when the other works just fine. Click here to shop for all these on one page.
- Pencils
- Colored Pencils
- Erasers
- Crayons
- Washable Markers
- Dry Erase Markers
- Highlighters
- Pencil Cases
- Notebooks
- Composition Books
- Paper & Related
- Folders
- Binders
- Dividers
- Report Covers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Calculators
- Rulers
- Disinfecting Supplies
- Plastic Storage
4th through 6th Grade
The kids are growing up so fast and now it’s time to get more supplies! While the basics are still the same as other grades, you will need to upgrade once you hit fourth grade to better and more durable supplies. The notable differences here are different styles of pens and more math geared supplies, such as protractors. The calculators might be a little fancier as well, but that depends entirely on the school and the teacher. If you can find a good deal on a calculator that can be used in multiple grades, then get it!
If you want to find products that match each grade closely, then use the links below. Otherwise, you can check out the products and choose what you need.
4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
- Pencils
- Colored Pencils
- Erasers
- Crayons
- Ballpoint Pens
- Washable Markers
- Dry Erase Markers
- Highlighters
- Pencil Cases
- Notebooks
- Composition Books
- Paper & Related
- Folders
- Binders
- Dividers
- Protractors
- Report Covers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Calculators
- Rulers
- Disinfecting Supplies
- Plastic Storage
7th and 8th Grade
This is basically middle school for most public school systems. While they tend to start at 6th grade, the supplies and technology doesn’t change until they get near the end of middle and head off to high school. While your state may be slightly different, the supplies for these two grades are very similar. You can check out the links below for each individual grade as the quality and functions of the products may change depending on the grade.
- Pencils
- Lead Refills
- Ballpoint Pens
- Gel Pens
- Dry Erase Markers
- Highlighters
- Pencil Cases
- Notebooks
- Composition Books
- Paper & Related
- Folders
- Binders
- Dividers
- Calculators
- Rulers
- Protractors
- USB Drives
- Disinfecting Supplies
9th through 12th Grade (High School)
High school is not much different when it comes to supplies. Where this grade level differs in the types of materials you need. The calculators probably need to be graphing style (most likely a TI version) and the binders and notebooks bigger. You also might need to get other books for each class. If you do need to buy books, make sure you check out Chegg.com, which offers used and rental books for much cheaper than purchasing one.
9th Grade | 10th Grade | 11th Grade | 12th Grade
- Pencils
- Lead Refills
- Ballpoint Pens
- Gel Pens
- Dry Erase Markers
- Highlighters
- Pencil Cases
- Notebooks
- Composition Books
- Paper & Related
- Folders
- Binders
- Dividers
- Calculators
- Rulers
- Protractors
- USB Drives
- Disinfecting Supplies
Obviously this isn’t an extensive back to school shopping guide, but we hoped to give you the necessities you would need for your child’s grade. We hope this helps you make that back to school shopping trip just a little easier.
If you’re like me, then you’ll be doing most of your shopping online. I’ll be hitting up Amazon to make my life a little easier. With Prime shipping, I’ll have my son’s school supplies at my door in two days. I can beat the rush at the store and just make life much easier.
I’ll call that a win!
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Money Beagle says
July 23 at 11:12 amOur school has a list posted on line of required and recommended supplies. I would guess that it very closely matches your list. Good info!
Grayson Bell says
July 23 at 11:48 amNice they put it online! I have come across a few schools that still give a print out. Schools and teachers can also make free supply lists on Amazon!
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way says
July 24 at 5:55 amJune is the opening of our school year. I bought my daughter a new bag and new shoes too, because her old things were already damaged.
Grayson Bell says
July 24 at 10:49 amIs your daughter in year-round school? June is the beginning of summer for kids on a regular schedule here.
Lauren says
July 24 at 3:58 pmMy mom always saved a lot of money buying all my school supplies at Walmart each year! Thanks for sharing these great lists.
Grayson Bell says
July 24 at 4:00 pmWalmart is a good place to do it.
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says
July 25 at 10:05 pmNow, I have got a list of school supplies for my third-grader child. Thank you Grayson.
Adriana @MoneyJourney says
August 9 at 5:14 amThe “back to school” theme has already started to pop up everywhere around here as well. I think shopping online is more convenient though. It’s easier to spot a good deal online rather than spend time browsing around for school supplies in a store. There are just so many to choose from!
Grayson Bell says
August 9 at 9:34 amI don’t have time to walk around a store to look for supplies. I can get it all done online now!