The best school supplies for students K-12

• Although onsite learning is an uncertainty for many students this fall, we've rounded up the best school supplies, many of which are useful for virtual learning as well.
• Whether your youngest child is entering kindergarten or they're heading into their senior year of high school, we've rounded up all the school supplies they may need.
• You can also check out or list of supplies for virtual learning.

Every year, schools send supply lists with all the gear kids need to make it through the year. While your kids may take this as an excuse to get new clothes, shoes, and gadgets, you need to get all the basic school supplies for them, too. 

Since the back-to-school season can be pricey, we've worked hard to round up the very best school supplies you can buy, while still saving some money. We included general supplies that often appear on kids' lists, whether they're starting kindergarten or heading into their last year of high school.

Read on to find our top picks for backpacks, lunch boxes, pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks, planners, paper, folders, binders, art supplies, calculators, and so much more.

SEE ALSO: The best college supplies and dorm room essentials

The best backpack for elementary school

The L.L.Bean Junior Original Book Pack comes in fun patterns, including dinosaurs, outer space, and daisies.

L.L.Beans makes high-quality backpacks that are both fun and practical. The Junior Original Book Pack backpack is sturdy, just the right size, and includes a pocket for a water bottle and reflective strips for safety. You can read our guide to the best student backpacks here.

The best middle school backpack

The JanSport Superbreak backpack comes in tons of fun colors and patterns.

JanSport is still the go-to backpack brand for tons of school kids. The Superbreak backpack is sturdy, just the right size, and it comes in tons of colors and patterns. The list of options on Amazon is epic. You can read our guide to the best student backpacks here.

The best high school backpacks

The North Face Recon and the Fjallraven Kanken Big Backpack are the best backpacks you can bring to high school.

In high school, a backpack serves two purposes. It's a practical place to toss your books, pens, laptop, phone, and lunch; but it's also a fashion statement. If you just want a practical sporty look, the North Face Recon is the best backpack for you. Those of you who are more interested in style than pure function will like the Fjallraven Kanken Big Backpack.

The best preschool lunch box

The Bentgo Kids Bento Box is divided into small compartments to match your child's appetite.

The Bentgo Kids Bento Box is made from sturdy plastic with rubber edges, so it won't crack if dropped, and the two clasps are easy for little hands to open and close. The inner tray is portioned into five compartments just the right size for the appetites of the pre-school crowd. Best of all? The foods won't touch. You can read our full guide to the best kids lunchboxes here.

The best elementary school lunch box

The Packit Freezable Lunch Bag keeps your child's lunch cold for hours.

The Packit Freezable Lunch Bag is made of poly canvas, with a food-safe, water-resistant lining. It zips shut at the top and also has a Velcro tab for extra security. You can pop it in the freezer the night before school so that the special lining keeps lunch cold all day. It comes in tons of fun colors to make every kid happy.

The best middle school lunch box

The OmieBox Bento Box hits the sweet spot for middle-schoolers who need a versatile lunch box that can hold both hot and cold food.

The OmieBox Bento Box comes in five bright colors so your middle-schooler can have their choice. It has three main compartments and includes a leak-proof container. It's also designed with separate temperature zones to keep food hot or cold until lunchtime rolls around.

The best high school and college lunch box

The Rubbermaid LunchBlox is perfect for high-schoolers to pack everything they need for a sandwich or to separate food for snacking throughout the day.

The Rubbermaid LunchBlox is well-designed with four different containers that snap together so your high schooler student can pack sandwiches, chips, or other goodies that might otherwise be easily smashed. These containers can be carried in a simple lunch bag or you can purchase the LunchBlox bag separately.

The best ballpoint pens

The uni-ball Jetstream RT Ballpoint Pens write smoothly without smearing, and they come in a three-pack.

If you love ballpoint pens and hate the way gel pens smear, you'll love the Uni-Ball Jetstream RT Pens. The ink is a school-approved black, and it dries almost instantly to avoid any smudges as you frantically take notes in science class. These pens come in a three-pack on Amazon for a reasonable price, so parents will love them, too, though you'll probably need more than three to get through the school year.

The best gel pens

The Pilot G2 Retractable Premium Gel Ink Roller Ball Pens write smoothly and help color code all your notes.

If you prefer gel pens and you don't mind the occasional smudge, the Pilot G2 gel pens are the best ones you can buy. Although your teacher will skin you if you turn in homework in colorful ink instead of blue or black, having multiple colors for note-taking can be very helpful. Take it from a serial color coder — it helps. I've been using these pens for the past few years to keep my editorial assignments in order (and color coded!), and I'll never go back to normal pens.

The best pencils

The Dixon Ticonderoga Wood-Cased 2HB Pencils write well, sharpen easily, and pass every test.

Dixon's Ticonderoga wood pencils might as well represent the word "pencil" in the dictionary. These pencils are iconic for a reason: They write well, last long, and satisfy that "number two" pencil requirement for scantron tests (do they still have those?).

The best mechanical pencils

The uni-ball KuruToga Mechanical Pencil lasts long and writes well.

If you hate sharpening your pencils, you'll love the Uni-Ball KuruToga mechanical pencil. It's not your average mechanical pencil, either. It has stronger lead for less breakage and it's very comfortable to hold. You will need to buy more lead and possibly some erasers after a while, but that's the case with all mechanical pencils.

For kids who are learning to write, Papermate's Handwriting Mechanical Pencils are ideal. These pencils are shaped to be flatter and easier to grip for young kids.

The best highlighters

The Sharpie Clear View Highlighters come in both wide and narrow sizes, and you get four different colors.

When it comes to highlighters, Sharpie is probably among the best-known brands. These Clear View highlighters come in narrow and wide sizes so you can choose which kind you need. The highlighters will last you a long time even if you're a highlighting fiend, and, you get four different colors in a pack for color-coding.

The best composition book

The Mead Composition Books are sturdy and classic.

Elementary school students always have to get a composition notebook, but if you like to have one for high school or college, you can get the college-ruled version instead of the traditional wide-ruled option. Mead makes great composition notebooks with sturdy covers and good quality paper, so you can't go wrong here — especially if you get the two-pack.

The best wide-ruled notebook

The Five Star Spiral Notebooks are the ones every kid wants.

If you were a cool kid in school, you probably had Five Star notebooks. These are great notebooks, even though they're pricier than some. Amazon has this three-pack of notebooks on sale, so you're getting a better deal than you normally would. Check out our guide to the best notebooks here.

The best college-ruled notebook

The Five Star Spiral Notebooks will get you through all your subjects in style.

Once you hit high school, you need a notebook for each subject. This six-pack of Five Star notebooks is a great deal at less than $20. The notebooks are sturdy, the paper is crisp, and the covers come in different colors to help you color code your subjects if that's your jam.

The best planner for high school

The Mead Student Academic Planner will help you remember all your homework assignments.

If you're not into the nerdy retro planner above, the Mead Student Academic Planner is a classy alternative. It looks much simpler and more grown up. It's also split up into weeks and has handy charts for math and so on. You can get it in a bunch of different colors, too, which is nice.

The best notebook paper

The Mead Filler Paper is strong and doesn't let ink bleed through.

You'll go through a lot of paper, so grab a few packs of the Mead Filler Paper in either wide-or-college-rule. It's sturdy and doesn't let ink bleed through.

The best folders

The STEMSFX Heavy Duty Plastic 2 Pocket Folders come in a six pack and they're durable.

No matter how much mom harps on about taking good care of your school supplies, some of you won't pay her any mind. To make your folders last longer, get these heavy duty plastic ones from STEMSFX. You even get six different colored ones in a pack, so you can color code your subjects.

The best binders

The Staples Better Binder is durable, sturdy, and long-lasting.

You can buy the Staples Better Binder in a variety of sizes to suit your teacher's preferences. These binders are known to be fairly durable and the rings are well made unlike the dollar store versions that always fall apart. Check out our guide to the best binders here.

The best dividers

The Avery Insertable Dividers keep your subjects apart in your binder.

If you have a ton of subjects or you just like being organized, the Avery Insertable Dividers will do a great job of corraling your subjects into sections in your binder. These tabs are sturdy, so they shouldn't rip like flimsier versions.

The best art set

The Crayola Core Pack for Back to School — Grades 3-5 comes with almost every art supply you need.

If you need markers, crayons, and colored pencils for your kid, look no further than the Crayola Core Back to School — Grades 3-5 kit. It comes with pretty much everything your kid needs for art time in elementary school, and its $12.99 price tag is decent.

The best colored pencils

The Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils are excellent for budding artists.

If you want some colored pencils that are more high-end and suitable for real art, the Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils are wonderful. You get 12 colors for less than $7 — you can't beat that.

The best glue sticks

The Elmer's Washable All-Purpose School Glue Sticks work well and they're way less messy than glue bottles.

Who wants sticky glue bottles when you can have glue sticks? Elmer's Glue Sticks are better quality than the cheapo ones you'll find elsewhere. The glue is stickier and longer lasting than other brands' glue sticks. You can get them for a good price, too.

The best scissors

The Fiskars 5-inch Blunt Kids Scissors cut well, last long, and they won't poke you.

Scissors are one of those things that you shouldn't skimp on. Dollar-store scissors don't last long, they break, and they're dull. Fiskars' scissors may be pricey at $10.50, but they are great. These scissors are sturdy, strong, sharp, and safe for kids with their blunt tips. You can also get them with the pointy ends if you're not worried your kid will poke themselves (or a classmate) with them.

The best sketchbooks

The Strathmore Sketch Spiral Sketchbook is perfect for inspiring creativity.

If your budding artist needs a real sketchbook, you can't go wrong with Strathmore's wares. The paper quality is excellent, and these sketchbooks are even made with recycled paper. I've used these sketchbooks exclusively for more than a decade, and they are top notch.

The best printer

The Canon Pixma TR4520 has a built-in scanner and easy-to-use interface, but best of all, it costs less than $50.

The Canon Pixma TR4520 is an inkjet printer that has all the features you need for an incredible price. It has a built-in scanner and copier, so you won't need to buy those separately. It's also compatible with Amazon Alexa voice assistant and wireless, so you can print from anywhere nearby, as long as you're connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the printer. 

The best USB drive

The PNY Turbo is an affordable USB drive for students who need to transport files between home and school.

Students may need to bring documents back and forth with them for sharing or printing, so they'll want to have a flash drive on hand. The PNY Turbo has good read and write speeds (180MB/s and up to 80MB/s) for basic everyday use, and that's why we named it the best budget option in our guide to the best USB drives.

The best calculator

The Texas Instruments TI-36X Pro Engineering/Scientific Calculator will do the math for you and help you pass algebra.

If you hate math as much as I did, you'll love the Texas Instruments TI-36X Pro Engineering/Scientific Calculator. It'll do the math for you and help you pass those math classes with flying colors.

The best index cards

The Oxford Ruled Index Cards make great flashcards for study time.

If you're a flashcard person and a color coder, you'll love these colorful Oxford Ruled Index Cards. You can easily make flashcards for studying or take notes on them, and the different colors in each pack help you color code by subject or topic.

The best ruler

The Westcott Stainless Steel Office Ruler won't break or slide when you need to measure or draw a straight line.

Some schools want you to have a good ruler on hand, and the Westcott Stainless Steel Office Ruler is a good bet with its sturdy metal design and non-slip cork base. It's also 15-inches long, so you get a few extra inches.

The best sticky notes

Post-it Notes are amazing for note-takers, color coders, and organization freaks who cannot live without lists.

Take it from a sticky note addict: Post-it Notes are great. They come in fun colors for color coding, they're stickier than imitators, and they'll help you be more organized.

Check out our other back-to-school guides

The best school notebooks

From kindergarten through college, students go through a lot of paper and school notebooks, as they're a key component in taking notes and learning. We rounded up the best notebooks for elementary, middle, high school, and college students to prepare them for back-to-school.

The best binder for school

Students use binders to organize course materials and conveniently keep all of their school supplies in one location. These binders are built to last the whole school year, and each pick has features that make it a great fit for the recommended age group.

The best online learning tools

Learning at home can be a big change when kids are used to learning face to face at school. A few key products can make virtual learning easier on your child and help ensure their success, whether they're in kindergarten or 12th grade.

The best tech for college students

Tech rules every aspect of our lives now, so you're going to need a lot of gadgets to get you through college. Whether you need a laptop, a smartphone, a charger, a speaker, or some other gadget, we've put all our top picks together in one place to help you find the best tech for college.

The best smart notebook

With all these factors in mind, we've rounded up the best smart notebooks you can buy whether you want a reusable notebook that wipes clean when you're done or one that connects to an app on your smartphone to give you digital copies of your notes.

The best webcams

If you need to join a video conference or conduct a live stream to Facebook or Twitch, you need a decent computer webcam. One of the best webcams has become far more essential of a home item than ever before in recent months.