We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A pack of Astrobrights construction paper you'll be happy to have on hand when you somehow missed that your kiddo has an art project due the next day. Construction paper will come in clutch for last-minute assignments that require creativity and a pop of color.
BTW: reviewers say you can also use this for printing as well!
Promising review: "This is a great assortment for school projects, Lots of vibrant colors and not like the cheap construction paper, bonus you can print anything on them also, Well worth it for back to school projects that involve lots of colors." —georgia
Get a pack of 150 from Amazon for $9.23.
2. A pack of colorful T-shirts so you'll always be prepared for any special days that pop up on your child's calendar. If your kid's school has special celebrations or events that require students to wear certain colors, you won't have to make a quick stop to the store on the way home from work to search for a green shirt for "Grinch Day."
Promising reviews: "Best T-shirts ever. They are thicker, not cheap feeling or looking." —Deborah D.
"These colors are so nice, my son loves the options! They fit great too. They do not shrink much and the colors have stayed in good condition after many washes. The collars are also good. Some brands struggle keeping a good structure, but these are great." —Denny
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in sizes 3T–13 and in various color combinations).
3. And, some iron on letters to add words or your child's name to T-shirts for class trips, field day, or spirit week.
Promising review: "Needed letters for a quick T-shirt project for my daughter. These iron on letters arrived in a day and worked great! Cut out well, adhered cleanly and easily. Very happy." —Wendy Deer
Get a pack of 440 from Amazon for $9.99 (also available in packs of 500 and 880).
4. A 12-pack of hand sanitizers because classrooms run out of these so fast! You'll save yourself a last-minute trip to the store when a letter arrives in your child's folder requesting some more hand sanitizer.
5. A pack of Starbucks gift cards to keep on deck for Teacher Appreciation Day or any other occasion, so you'll always be prepared to show you child's teacher how grateful you are. Look, just trust me on this one, holidays will sneak up on you.
6. A pack of presentation boards so you'll be ready when your kid suddenly remembers the night before that they have a project due the next day.
7. Some cute reusable snack bags if you want to avoid a late night trip to Target when you realize you have no more disposable ones left to pack lunch for your little one. These are better for the planet 🌎 AND (!!) you'll never run out of snack bags again — just wash and reuse.
Great news: these are dishwasher safe!
Promising review: "These are the perfect size for snackies and hold up great after washes! I love that I’m not using and throwing away plastic snack bags all the time." —ktbauman
Get a pack of two from Target for $7.99+ (available in four color/style combinations).
8. A pack of cult-fave Ticonderoga #2 pencils because pencils go missing like socks and you can never have enough. Plus, these come pre-sharpened!
Promising reviews: "Y'all, please get bulk stuff like this for teachers throughout the school year. They do not make enough to be buying all these extra classroom supplies, and the basics they're given don't last... Got these for all three of our son's teachers in a supply box, and they loved it." —Christopher and Maggie
"Best pencils you can buy! I bought these for my son's math teacher, who was in desperate need of pencils, and she was thrilled! It was such a great deal, but even if it wasn't, I still would have purchased these. They last longer and are way higher quality than other brands. The fact that they were already sharpened and ready for use made it an even better gift." —courtneyhennagir
Get a pack of 72 from Amazon for $11.24 (also available in packs of four, 10, 18, and 30).
9. And a pack of Pink Pearl cap erasers to go on pencils when their erasers have been shaved all the way down to the nubs. Plus, reviewers say these stay put, work really well, and don't leave as much residue as others.
Promising review: "Best erasers ever!!! I donated a box of these to my daughter's class. The teacher said they were absolutely amazing. The quality is like a standard rectangle eraser. They are so much better than the regular pencil top erasers. And they do not rip, and the tops do not pop off. I would highly recommend these. I am going to order a couple more boxes." —Shopper
Get a pack of 144 from Amazon for $7.18.
10. A pack of clear Scotch Tape just in case you need to mend a torn folder, tape together a quick project, or if your child's classroom is low on supplies.
Promising review: "I bought this for my son's sixth-grade classroom (he's the teacher!). He uses this during group projects." —Renee Smith
Get a pack of six rolls with dispensers from Amazon for $13.49.
11. A few packs of colored pencils so you won't have to freak out when there's just three colors left and your child has to color a worksheet. You'll always have some backups when you need 'em. And, these also come already sharpened, so you won't have to worry about cranking a sharpener to get the perfect points.
12. A pack of college ruled composition notebooks that you'll be grateful you bought ahead when you get a message from your child's teacher asking for more. These fill up fast, so be prepared with a few so you can avoid driving all the way to the store to grab some more only to realize they're sold out — been there! Plus, the covers have conversion charts and blank class schedules printed on them.
Promising reviews: "These composition books arrived in a timely fashion and well packed. Not flimsy like ones I had purchased in the past, but exactly like the ones we used in school. Cover is thick enough to be sturdy so it won't get damaged easily." —rkmdjm
"These are sturdy, the paper is thick enough that basic ink does not bleed through. There are 100 pages, most only have 80. Well sewn together with sturdy cardboard cover. My son uses these daily, going through about three to four a week. So this is a great buy for him. I will purchase again when we need them!" —JIW
Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $19.70.
13. A two-pack of water bottles because you'll be prepared when your kiddo loses their fave one or just in case one breaks. Plus, this isn't just an ordinary bottle — with a press of a button it opens and seals shut on its own! And, it's leak- and spillproof.
14. A multi-pack of batteries so you don't have to freak out trying to figure out complicated math equations that you haven't done in years when your teen's calculator runs out of juice. This pack is also great for other supplies, like battery-powered sharpeners.
BTW: this pack includes 12 AA and 12 AAA batteries.
Promising review: "Does exactly what the name brands do! I've purchased double and triple A for the past two years. Never had a problem with being DOA. Longevity, durable, and economic are the best ways I can describe them. Use them for my drones, remotes for TVs, desk calculator, smoke detector, and mini flashlight and have not any issues." —Sherry A Foster
Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $12.82 (also available in a 48-pack).
15. A Sharpie school supplies kit to keep on hand just in case you run out of some essentials like permanent markers, highlighters, or glue sticks. This kit will come to your rescue when it's late at night and you realize you've run out of some important basics — like a working pen.
This kit includes: three pocket highlighters, two large highlighters, three fine-point and two ultra-fine point permanent markers, six mechanical pencils, one lead refill, six pencils, two erasers, five ballpoint pens, two gel pens, two chisel tip and one ultra-fine tip low odor markers, one bottle of liquid glue, and two disappearing purple glue sticks.
Promising review: "Pretty much has everything a student needs to begin school!" —Kristine
Get it from Amazon for $18.75.
16. A Kindle Paperwhite if you'd like to avoid a last-minute trip to the bookstore for you kid's book report you had no idea was due in a few days. I had a Kindle in college and it saved me so much time — no waiting for books to ship and I didn't have to go to the library or bookstore hoping they'd have the one I needed in stock. Plus, I didn't have to lug around a bunch of books.
In college, I was an English major and that meant I was always reading several books at once. It was annoying trying to track down books in time for my assignments and also my bag was weighed down by all the books I had to carry. I never thought I'd love an e-reader, but I quickly fell in love with my Kindle. I loved being able to download a book in seconds instead of searching through aisles of books at a bookstore or library only to find out they didn't have what I needed.
Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in 8 GB or 16 GB and three colors).
17. An arts and crafts kit with assorted supplies so that last-minute project will look like you and your child spent days working on it. This kit includes pom poms, glitter glue, feathers, pipe cleaners, and more to spruce up any assignment. It's perfect for science fair projects, displays, and even to create cards for their teachers.
This kit includes pom poms, feathers, four glitter glues, colorful wooden ice pop sticks, pipe cleaners, foam flower, construction paper, safety scissors, and an assortment of buttons.
Promising review: "My kids are back in school and have been having to do a ton of projects. Instead of going to the store all of the time and losing the individual packets all the supplies come in, I now have some of each thing all in a waterproof plastic container. It makes life a little bit easier." —am
Get it from Amazon for $15.98+ (available in a jar or storage box and in various sizes).
18. A huge pack of looseleaf paper because you won't have to run around looking for some refills late at night when your high schooler casually mentions that they ran out and they don't have enough sheets to complete their homework.
Promising review: "I love this paper for college. Color coded by class keeps me organized. The paper is thick. I can use both sides for note taking. Great investment for classes. Notes last the entire term." —Pdxgenesis
Get a set of three from Amazon for $15+ (available in college, wide, and graph styles, a pack with assorted colors, and in packs of three, four, 12, and 24).
19. Or, some durable Five Star spiral notebooks if your teen uses these instead of a binder. They can go through one of these pretty quickly, so it's always a great idea to have some on hand.
20. A jumbo pack of Elmer's glue sticks so can avoid a ~sticky situation~ and never run out of glue. You'll have enough for the entire school year for all the cut-and-paste worksheets and projects your kiddo will have.
Promising review: "Do you want to make an elementary school teacher happy? Give them this. I've taught first grade for nine years. You would be surprised by how many glue sticks a first-grader uses in a typical year. You might think that we asked for a lot of glue sticks at the beginning of the year, but I can almost guarantee you that those glue sticks will be gone by Christmas. The rest of the year the teacher buys the glue sticks." —Amy
Get a pack of 30 from Amazon for $10.99 (also available in a pack of 60).
21. A pack of felt tip pens because let's face it, pens go missing like there's a special vortex that sucks them all in. It's never a bad idea to have a few extra on hand just in case. Plus, these won't bleed through paper and they come in vibrant colors that'll make note-taking a little more fun. BTW, teachers love these too!
Promising review: "Fantastic teacher's gift. Apparently teachers LOVE these; I got more 'thank yous' for sending these to my kids' teachers than I ever do with a Starbucks gift card." —mndyj33
Promising review: "My favorite school supply. I am a middle school teacher, and I don't think I could ever have too many of these Flair pens. I like the way they feel in my hand, and how vivid the color is on paper. I use them on absolutely everything, and the kids notice because I always get some for Christmas! My favorite!" —Christopher Canales
Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $19.59 (also available in packs of 12, 16, and 28, and two styles).
22. And a pack of Sharpie highlighters to make studying easier. You won't want them to run out of these because your student will be able to highlight important quotes, notes, and reminders.
Promising review: "Bought this for my children's teachers. Split one box between each kid and found it way cheaper than the $4 pack of three skinny ones from local stores. It also helps the teacher out by donating to a child whose parents may not be able to get the basic resources for them. Also, because the marker is thick and round, I believe it helps young kids grasp better." —Dustin F.
Get a pack of 36 from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in yellow and two assorted color options).
23. A pack of scissors so you'll have enough on deck for all the projects and assignments that require cutting. IDK how to explain it, but having just one pair of scissors is just not enough — they get lost and broken easily or you can never find one when you need it. But with a pack this big, you won't have to worry about all of that.
Promising review: "My third-graders' hands are too big for the 'safety' scissors so we bought these big kid scissors. Great value, and they love using the bigger, easier to handle, and faster to use scissors! Cuts the cutting time down! (Pun intended!!)" —Haikaichi
Get a pack of 20 from Amazon for $16.31+ (also available in packs of five and 60).
You, grabbing an extra notebook from your supplies when your kiddo runs out:
