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As kids continue to enjoy the freedom and fun of summer vacation, teachers, parents and caretakers know back-to-school season is lurking right around the corner. In fact, many stores around the country already have their school supply displays stocked and centrally displayed.
The closer the calendar gets to the first day of classes, the more likely it is that shoppers will have a hard time finding all of the required school supplies that everyone else is looking for. Not only that but tracking down those supplies in your kids’ favorite colors, styles and characters could be even rougher.
To help you and your family get an A+ on your shopping list, we have a roundup of some of the top-rated school supplies available on Amazon. That way, your shopping trip can be done as easily as a point and click, before being picked up on your doorstep!
Backpacks
The backbone of any school supply shopping list has to be the backpack. Sure, a quality backpack helps students carry all they need for classes, but the pack can also be a fashion statement and a reflection of a kid’s personality. Here are some of the top-rated backpacks selling online right now.
JanSport Cool Student Backpack
The JanSport Cool Student Backpack is simple in design, but a workhorse for students. JanSport makes some of the most reliable backpacks and earns some of the top ratings on Amazon for a reason. This particular model has more than 8,300 ratings as of this writing and a five-star overall score from customers. It comes in 11 different colors and prints and costs $60.
Students can tuck a 15-inch laptop into the dedicated sleeve, plus there are two other spacious compartments: a front utility pocket and a side pocket for a water bottle. Many reviewers of the JanSport Cool Student Backpack are actually parents who lugged a JanSport when they were in school and are now buying one for their kids.
“My JanSport backpack is still floating around my family 25 years later,”wrote Amazon user DW in a five-star review. “This is perfect for my son … and will be used for many years to come if it’s like my original JanSport!
Abshoo Little Kids Backpack
Even the youngest students need a backpack these days and the Abshoo Little Kids Backpack is designed just for them. This one is designed with water-resistant polyester to keep school supplies protected from spills that might happen in a little one’s bag. The padded shoulder straps are adjustable and the main compartment can hold most standard-size books.
We love the adorable colors and patterns available that include unicorns, dinosaurs, dogs, pandas and mermaids. Right now, Amazon users have this rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars and they’re on sale starting at just $19.99.
Lunchboxes
Next on the priority list for most students is the perfect lunchbox. It has to keep their lunch and snacks chilled and organized, but will also hopefully look amazing. Check out these options at the top of the class of Amazon’s school supplies.
Wildkin Kids Insulated Lunch Box
Whether your student likes bright colors and patterns or wants sometimes a little less “extra,” the Wildkin Kids Insulated Lunch Box has plenty of options to browse. We counted 22 different design choices for students to choose from including ice cream treats, hearts, zebra patterns and iridescent colors.
These may be more suitable for younger children than high schoolers due to their size (9 3/4-by-7-by-3 1/4 inches) but the insulation will keep foods at just the right temperature by the time lunch or snack time rolls around. This fun lunchbox is available on Amazon for $23.99.
Bento Box Lunch Box
Bento lunchboxes are all the rage right now and we totally understand why. This bento box lunchbox from Setoragely is suitable for all ages and can be filled with amazing combinations of foods and snacks — and it even includes a spork! Fussy eaters will be thrilled to know the box’s design doesn’t allow for separate foods to mix when it’s closed.
With nearly 1,000 customer reviews so far, this bento box ranks near the top of the lunchbox category on Amazon. Some reviewers have even remarked that it will fit inside a traditional zip-up lunchbox.
Electronics
With backpacks and lunchboxes covered, now it’s time to get into the tools of the students’ trade. These days, in addition to the traditional notebooks, pens, and pencils (which we’ll get to, don’t worry), many students have a number of electronics needs for school supplies. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular tech gear for the school year.
HP 15.6-Inch Laptop
For students in the 21st century, a laptop is almost essential thanks to online grade books, assignment submissions and essay writing. The good news is not all top-rated laptops cost a fortune these days.
This 15.6-inch laptop from HP available on Amazon for $504 (marked down 24% right now from its retail price of $660) is a good starter computer for kids who need to get connected to do their school work. With more than 2,100 customer ratings as of this writing, and an overall score of 4.4 out of 5 stars, this laptop offers fast processing speed and a battery that lasts more than seven hours. It also boasts a 256GB internal hard drive, which is plenty for years of school assignments. It is Bluetooth compatible and has a numeric keypad for easy data entry.
Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS Scientific Calculator
When a student needs a calculator for math or science class, the Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS has all the necessary functions in a compact and powerful package (provided they don’t need one that does graphing). It has a two-line display to shows the entry and solution at the same time and has everything needed to calculate logs, statistics and angle modes (degrees, radians and grads). The calculator is solar powered, but also has a battery backup included.
The TI-30XIIS Scientific Calculator is on sale now for less than $10 on Amazon, marked down by more than half!
Notebooks
Just because today’s students do most of their work on high-tech devices these days doesn’t mean the classics aren’t still necessary! Here are some of the top-rated notebooks on Amazon to stick in your kid’s new backpack.
Mead Composition Books, College Ruled, 12 Pack
These classic notebooks used to be only available in black and white, but now come in a range of bright hues. You can get a 12-pack of Mead composition books for $29.97, with 100 college-ruled sheets (or 200 writing pages) each for maximum note-taking space. The inside of the front cover even has a class schedule grid to keep your kid time and the inside back cover has helpful tools such as multiplication tables, conversion tables and grammar rules.
Five Star Three-Subject Spiral Notebooks, Three-Pack
If you have a student that prefers or needs a spiral-bound notebook, then Five Star should be on your school supplies list. These Five Star Three-Subject Notebooks come in packs of three for only $19.30 on sale right now at Amazon (that is 53% off the regular price!).
Each notebook has 150 college-ruled sheets divided into three sections for individual subjects. The two dividers inside each have pockets on both sides to store loose papers, including ones you can tear from the notebook thanks to the perforated edges. If your student prefers wide-ruled paper, check out Five-Star’s One-Subject Wide-Ruled Notebooks, too!
Blue Summit 1 1/2-Inch Three-Ring Binders, Four-Pack
The three-ring binder will likely never become obsolete and is the most flexible notebook any student can carry. With this four-pack of binders from Blue Summit, students get binders with 1 1/2-inch rings in red, purple, aqua and lime green. Each one can be used for a single individual subject or more, depending on the student’s needs.
With more than 1,000 Amazon reviews so far and a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, these binders rank high on sturdiness, appearance and value. Get the four-pack for $21.99 on Amazon.
Writing and Drawing Supplies
It’s also time to stock up on pens, pencils and other items needed to keep your students writing and expressing themselves creatively this school year! Don’t miss these must-have writing utensils and supplies.
Paper Mate No. 2 Pencils, 72-Count Box
Your student will be hard-pressed to say they have nothing to write with if you pick up the 72-count box of Paper Mate No. 2 pencils on Amazon for just $10.99 (on sale at 50% of the normal retail price for a limited time). These pencils are made with reinforced, break-resistant lead, which means less sharpening should be required. The eraser is 100% latex-free, as well.
Bic Round Stic Xtra Life Ballpoint Pens, 144-Count
Right now on Amazon, a 144-count box of Bic Round Stic Xtra Life ballpoint pens is available for the low price of $12 (about $8 off the normal price). You can stock up on pens at the start of the school year and hopefully be prepped until next summer (and beyond)!
The Bic Round Stic is one of the most popular pens on the market and comes with either black, blue or red ink (in case you have a teacher in your family that needs a supply, too).
Crayola Back-To-School Bundle
Talk about a rainbow in a box! TheCrayola Back-To-School Bundle has everything a young student needs to make their classwork colorful all year. For $25, you get two 24-count boxes of crayons, 10 washable broad-tip markers, 12 colored pencils and 10 washable fine-line markers.
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