The Ultimate Back-to-School Shopping List 2026 (Everything Under $20)
Back-to-school shopping in 2026 doesn't have to wreck your budget. Most families overspend because they grab supplies at the first store they walk into — paying retail markup on things that cost pennies to make. This checklist covers everything your student needs for the new school year, and every single item is available at FairCart's school supplies section for under $5. The entire list runs under $20 combined.
The Total: Every Essential Under $5 Each
Every item on this checklist is priced under $5 at FairCart — most are under $4. We're talking 11 products covering every category on a typical school supply list: notebooks, writing tools, folders, a pencil pouch, glue, and scissors. You can grab all of them for well under $50 total, but you probably don't need everything — pick what's missing from last year and you'll likely spend under $20.
Already read our guide to cheap school supplies under $5? This article goes deeper with a full category-by-category checklist and covers the newer products we've added to the FairCart catalog this year.
2026 School Supplies Checklist — By Category
📓 Notebooks & Paper
Composition Notebooks (3-Pack)
$4.99Three classic wide-ruled comp notebooks for less than $5 total. Use one per core subject — and at this price, grab an extra for notes, journaling, or scratch work.
Five Star 5-Subject Notebook
$4.99Five tabbed subjects in one notebook — perfect for students who want to keep everything together. Durable cover, perforated pages, and pocket dividers included.
Index Cards (200-Pack, 3x5 Ruled)
$2.99200 ruled 3×5 index cards for flashcards, vocab lists, and study sets. Stock up now and you'll have enough for every exam season through next year.
✏️ Writing Tools
Mechanical Pencils (4-Pack)
$3.990.5mm click-advance mechanical pencils — never sharpen anything again. Comfortable grip, consistent line, and four in the pack so you always have a backup.
Crayola Colored Pencils (24-Pack)
$4.9924 pre-sharpened Crayola colored pencils covering the full spectrum. Color-code your notes, crush art class, or just make your planner look good.
Crayola Washable Markers (10-Pack)
$3.9910 bold, washable markers for projects, posters, and presentations. Crayola's washable formula means no permanent stains on desks, clothes, or skin.
Highlighter Set (5 Colors)
$3.99Five chisel-tip highlighters — yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange. Color-code chapters, flag key terms, and mark test answers. Smear-resistant once dry.
📁 Organization
Plastic Folders with Pockets (6-Pack)
$3.99Six durable plastic folders with two-pocket design — one color per class. Keep handouts, syllabi, and graded papers sorted all semester without losing anything.
Pencil Pouch with Zipper
$4.99A water-resistant zippered pencil pouch that fits inside any three-ring binder. Large enough for pencils, pens, a ruler, eraser, and a USB drive.
✂️ Craft & Project Supplies
Elmer's Glue Sticks (6-Pack)
$3.99Six Elmer's glue sticks for poster projects, collages, and craft days. Goes on purple, dries clear — and six in the pack means you won't run out mid-project.
Scissors Set — Student + Kids Sizes (2-Pack)
$3.49Two pairs of scissors in one pack — a full-size student pair and a smaller kids' pair. Sharp, comfortable, and under $3.50 for both.
How to Use This Checklist
Print this page or bookmark it and go category by category. Check off what you already have from last year — composition notebooks and pencil pouches often survive a full school year. Replace the consumables first: glue sticks dry out, highlighters run out, and index cards get used up fast.
If your student is heading to a dorm this fall, check out our cheap dorm room essentials under $10 guide as well — it covers everything from shower caddies to desk organizers without the usual college-move-in markup.
Shop everything on this list at FairCart's school category. Every product ships fast and is priced to beat what you'd find at any big-box or office supply store.
Everything on your back-to-school list. All under $5 each.
Notebooks, folders, pencils, markers, highlighters, glue, scissors — in stock and ready to ship. No back-to-school markup.
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