I've done the homework so you don't have to. After pricing out 12 essential back-to-school items at nine major retailers, the results are eye-opening: Your out-of-pocket cost for the exact same shopping cart can vary by as much as $38.49 depending on where you shop for back-to-school deals. That's enough to buy another whole cart of supplies at the cheapest store.
This isn't your typical back-to-school hacks article with vague money-saving strategies (though we have assembled our best back-to-school shopping tips if you want it). Consider this your insider guide to see where every penny of your budget goes furthest.
And you can check out our full updated stock-up price guide that covers dozens more supplies to make sure you never overpay.
Store Rankings and Key Findings
Here's the plot twist that's likely surprising: While Walmart reclaimed their crown, Amazon — the place we sometimes assume has the lowest prices — came in almost dead last among major retailers, at more than four times Walmart's cost.
Methodology (How We Analyzed Prices)
In July and August 2025, our team at The Krazy Coupon Lady went through the online listings of 10 national retailers: Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Office Depot/Office Max, Amazon, Staples, CVS, Walgreens, and Five Below. We recorded their current sale prices (no coupons needed) for these 12 common school supplies:
-
Spiral 1-Subject Notebook, 70 - 80 ct
-
No. 2 Pencils, 24 ct
-
Crayola Crayons, 24 ct
-
Kids' Scissors, 5"
-
Composition Notebook, 80 - 100 ct
-
Plastic Folder
-
Plastic Ruler
-
Plastic Pencil Box
-
Highlighters, 5 ct
-
Regular Binder, 1 in
-
Elmer's Glue, 4 oz
-
Index Cards, 3 x 5, 100 ct
Price Comparison Results: The 5 Cheapest Stores
The Complete Rankings
-
Walmart — $12.49
-
Dollar General — $13.19
-
Target — $13.57
-
Staples — $14.64
-
Office Depot/OfficeMax — $15.53
-
Dollar Tree — $16.25
-
Five Below — $27
-
Walgreens — $35.98
-
Amazon — $43.40
-
CVS — $50.98
Category Winners: Where to Buy Certain Items
Here's the thing about being a smart shopper — sometimes the overall winner (Walmart, in our analysis) isn't your best bet for every single item on your list. Even though Walmart takes the crown for the cheapest total cart, there are some standout deals at other stores that'll save you even more if you're willing to make multiple stops.
Staples beats Walmart's prices on 1-inch binders by nearly $1 each.
Out of all of the supplies on our sample back-to-school shopping list, binders were one of the most expensive. According to our analysis, prices for the cheapest 1-inch binders ranged from $1.99 at Staples all the way up to $7.29 at CVS.
Staples generally has the cheapest binders on sale ($1.99 and up), even compared to Walmart ($2.97 each). Drugstores were the most expensive, with prices starting at $5.99 at Walgreens and $7.29 at CVS.
Dollar Tree has the cheapest pocket calculators (just $1.25).
Dollar Tree sells basic calculators, like Jot 8-Digit Pocket Calculator, for just $1.25 plus tax. By comparison, similar models are $3.50 or more at Dollar General, Amazon, Target, or Staples.
The closest competitor is Walmart, where their Pen + Gear basic calculator is $2.48, still double the price of Dollar Tree's.
Look for backpacks as low as $5 at Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General.
If you're okay with buying a backpack that might only last a year, go for the $5 options at Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General. I'd skip the cheaper backpacks at Kohl's and Old Navy, where prices start at $14 and go up from there.
For pricier brands like JanSport, Walmart and Kohl's have the cheapest prices in 2025: $32.30 for the JanSport Cross Town backpack at Walmart, and $32 for the same backpack at Kohl's.
Target has the cheapest lunch boxes ($3), and ties with Walmart for cheapest school uniforms ($5).
For the cheapest lunch boxes and polo shirts, our analysis found that Target beat competitors in most cases, especially if you shop the back-to-school deals in late July and early August.
Lunch boxes at Target start at $3 for the Dealworthy brand, compared to $4.97 at Walmart. And for school polo shirts, Target has them as low as $5, with Walmart starting at just two cents cheaper (on sale for as low as $4.98).
Walmart and Amazon are tied for prices on graphing calculators ($85.99 and up).
For graphing calculators like the TI-84 Plus, you'll get the absolute lowest price if you shop at Walmart and opt for the one with the black-and-white screen (on sale for $85.99, regularly $139).
But for the TI-84 Plus CE (with a color screen), Walmart and Amazon are currently tied for the lowest price, $95 at Walmart (regularly $149) and $95 on Amazon (regularly $150).
Smarter Back-to-School Shopping Secrets
Never pay more than $0.50 for a 24-pack of Crayola Crayons.
As of late July, Crayola Crayons were priced at $0.50 at all the major retailers we compared (Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Office Depot/Office Max, and Staples). But they're twice as expensive at Five Below and five times as expensive at Walgreens (where they're $2.49).
Shop Dollar General year-round for consistently low prices.
Here's what's interesting — Dollar General came in third overall at $14.10 with sale prices, but the items would only cost $15.25 at regular prices. That makes this store your best bet for year-round school supply shopping when back-to-school sales aren't happening.
Avoid buying school supplies on Amazon unless you need them in bulk.
Stocking up on school supplies on Amazon can be a smart idea if you need bulk quantities, especially if you can claim some Subscribe & Save savings to lower your upfront cost, but you'll typically pay more out of pocket.
For example, a 72-count pack of Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils is as low as $11.15 on Amazon, which comes out to $0.15 per pencil. At Walmart, you'd pay $0.19 per pencil for a 24-pack, so Amazon has the cheaper price per unit, although not the cheapest price overall.
Plan your shopping trip for a tax-free weekend to skip paying sales tax.
We wrote a whole post about back-to-school tax-free weekends, but here's the gist: If you time your shopping trip right, you may be able to skip paying sales tax on certain purchases like laptops, clothing, backpacks, and school supplies if you live in one of 17 U.S. states.
Check our post for the complete schedule of tax-free weekends in each participating state.
Related Reading:
