American families with children in kindergarten through 12th grade will spend a record $43.3 billion on back-to-school items in 2026, up from $39.4 billion last year, according to NRF’s 2026 Back-to-School Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. For comparison, back-to-college spending is expected to total a record $103.5 billion this year, up from $88.8 billion in 2025.