The average American family spends $890 on back-to-school shopping for K-12 students in 2026. For families with two or three school-age children, that figure climbs to $1,500 or more — making back-to-school one of the most significant annual discretionary spending events in the household calendar, second only to the holiday season. Costco carries more back-to-school supplies than most families realize, with prices that are often lower than Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other m