Fort Worth ISD’s first day of school is August 12. Students are expected to show up with proper supplies, ready for a new year of learning.

However, the supplies budget is one that can add up– especially with tariffs placed on China, the U.S.’s main importer for school and office supplies.

The National Retail Federation estimates that K-12 families will spend approximately $143.77 per child on school supplies for the 2025-26 school year. The NRF also found that families do 55 percent of their shopping online, while 48 percent go to department stores and 47 percent shop at discount stores.

Texas’ tax free weekend is set for Aug. 8-10. However, that may be too late for back-to-school shopping. So to help calculate some costs, the Star-Telegram’s service journalism team set out to price check 20 back-to-school items at six retailers in Fort Worth during the week of July 21.

To determine our list, we referred to Fort Worth ISD’s school supply list for elementary students. Though it may be slightly different for high school and college students, we checked the price of the basics (not any fancy supplies) to give families an idea of what they may end up paying, and where to get the cheapest items.

We found that our 20-item shopping list costs $54.60 from Walmart — nearly half of the NRF’s estimate. Overall, Walmart was found to be the cheapest based on quality and quantity of items, but let’s take a look at the numbers in depth.

Methodology

To gather the data, our team created a shopping list of 20 back-to-school items.

At all six stores, we looked at the most popular brands (like Crayola, Elmer’s or Ticonderoga) but were primarily checking for the cheapest deals. Of course, to make all the data consistent, we compared items that were the same value in weight.

However, there are a few exceptions you should know.

For items labeled without a brand, we chose the cheapest brand option at each store. For Target it was Up&UP or dealworthy, Walmart was Pen&Gear, Dollar Tree store varied and Office Depot and Staples were both their store brands.
For scissors, the Fiskars brand was the cheapest at Walmart and Target.
Expo brand white board erase markers were the cheapest at every store except Walmart. Instead, Pen&Gear was the cheapest option for Walmart.
Some stores sold sticky notes individually or by packs of three. For this item, we chose the cheapest option regardless of quantity. Staples and Office Depot were the two stores who only sold packs of three which is why they are higher in price.
For wide-ruled paper the quantities also varied. Amazon sold 200-count, Dollar Tree, Office Depot and Walmart sold 150-count, Staples sold 100-count, Target sold 175-count.
For college ruled paper– Dollar Tree, Office Depot and Walmart sold 150-count. Amazon sold 200-count. Staples was 400-count and Target was 175-count.
Target and Dollar Tree sold 8-count binder divider tabs rather than 5-count.
No sale, clearance or membership prices were used.

Lastly, it’s important to know which Fort Worth locations we shopped at.

Amazon: Online
Dollar Tree: 367 Carroll St, Fort Worth
Office Depot: 401 Carroll St, Fort Worth
Staples: 1660 S University Drive, Fort Worth
Target: 301 Carroll St, Fort Worth
Walmart: 2245 Jacksboro Hwy, Fort Worth

Which Fort Worth store has the cheapest prices for school supplies?

Note: This is not a scientific study, but it is a real reflection of items’ prices at various stores in Fort Worth during the week of July 21, 2025.

Out of the six stores we shopped at, we found that Walmart is the best option, considering reliable quality and lowest prices. Here’s a ranking of the six stores from least expensive to most expensive:

Dollar Tree: $35.75
Walmart: $54.60
Target: $72.34
Amazon: $80.40
Staples: $96.67
Office Depot: $106.21

Now, it is important to consider two items — the backpack and lunch pouch — that add significant cost to the total price. Removing those two key items, the six stores rank:

Walmart: $25.22
Dollar Tree: $25.75
Target: $34.34
Office Depot: $44.38
Staples: $49.69
Amazon: $53.41

Key takeaways for back-to-school shopping in Fort Worth

Some data analysis in this story was conducted using AI. For more information on how the Star-Telegram and McClatchy newsrooms are using AI, go here.

Key takeaways from the data analysis show:

For basic writing supplies (pencils, pens, crayola products), Walmart leads this category by a landslide with the lowest prices on colored pencils, thin-tip markers, and crayons.
For notebooks, paper and index cards, Walmart had the cheapest deals for all items. Dollar Tree was a close second behind with paper products priced at $1.25 each.
For folders, binders and organizational supplies, Target is the cheapest option for plastic folders. Staples and Office Depot are the highest priced options in this category.
Dollar Tree is unbeatable with its prices for backpacks and lunch pouches at $5 for a backpack and $1.25 for a lunch pouch, whereas all other stores have options for $10 and up.
Amazon is the best option for bulk supply of items.

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