2025's most popular back-to-school products, according to Shopify data

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2025's most popular back-to-school products, according to Shopify data

Starting each July, families across the U.S. flood stores—online and offline—to gear up for a new school year. This year, Shopify sales data shows which back-to-school categories are most popular. Explore which trending items saw the biggest jumps, which categories lagged behind, and what the differences across regions might reveal about changing school culture.

Back-to-school sales trends: All U.S.

The back-to-school categories that saw the greatest spend in July were backpacks, sports uniforms, water bottles, lunch boxes and totes, pens, and notebooks. Categories with the most growth compared to the previous month were school uniforms (231%), backpacks (180%), and lunch boxes and totes (174%).

School uniforms, while a smaller category in total sales, posted the most dramatic month-over-month growth at +230.6%. This aligns with broader market trends: National Center for Education Statistics data shows that 18.8% of public schools required uniforms in 2019–2020, with requirements more common at the elementary level (21%) than in high schools (12%). Recent projections anticipate the school uniform market to reach a 6.1% compound annual growth rate by 2031, signaling stable, long-term interest.

Especially in uniformed environments, backpacks and lunch boxes play a key role beyond function in student identity—often serving as one of the few forms of self-expression. Water bottles, similarly, have become key accessories where students can showcase personal style—a small but important outlet for identity.

While water bottles, notebooks, and pens were among the most popular spending categories, month-over-month increases were more moderate—24%, 17%, and 8%, respectively—signaling the popularity of these purchases beyond the back-to-school season.

The only back-to-school items that saw month-over-month sales decline were markers and highlighters (8%), and book covers (1%). This decline could indicate that they aren’t requirements on school supply lists, or it could reflect increasing reliance on digital tools, like e-readers and styluses, particularly in higher grade levels.

Back-to-school sales trends by region

Midwest

The top-selling back-to-school item in the Midwest was sports uniforms, followed by water bottles, backpacks, pens, lunch boxes and totes, and notebooks. Stickers and sticker machines saw a more significant month-over-month sales increase compared to other regions, increasing by 174%. Calculator sales declined compared to the previous month, with an 11% drop—the only region to see a month-over-month decline.

Northeast

The top-selling back-to-school item in the Northeast was sports uniforms, followed by school backpacks, water bottles, pens, and lunch boxes and totes. Sports uniforms saw the strongest month-over-month growth in the Northeast (25%), while bulletin boards had the smallest month-over-month growth compared to other regions—24% compared to 104% in the Midwest, 86% in the South, and 49% in the West Coast.

South

The top-selling back-to-school item in the South was backpacks, followed by lunch boxes and totes, water bottles, sports uniforms, pens, and notebooks. The South recorded the strongest month-over-month growth in water bottle sales (35%), as well as calculator sales (124%), compared to other regions.

West Coast

The top-selling back-to-school item in the West Coast was water bottles, followed by sports uniforms, backpacks, pens, lunch boxes and totes, and notebooks. Even though it accounted for the second-greatest overall sales, sports uniforms sales declined month-over-month by 14%, perhaps indicating that purchasing starts even earlier compared to other regions.

This story was produced by Shopify and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.