The Cost of Back-to-School and College Supplies Is Rising Sharply

The start of the school and college year will be marked by inflation for families, with costs for students reaching historic highs.

According to a study published Wednesday and conducted by the CSF among 109 member families of the Confederation, the cost of school supplies is set to rise by 11.3% at the start of the 2023 school year for elementary, middle, and high school students. 
 

This report was published on the same day that the back-to-school allowance (ARS) was paid out; this allowance helps low-income parents pay for backpacks and other school supplies. The amounts were increased by 5.6% compared to the allowance paid in the summer of 2022. 
 

According to the CSF, the average cost of a complete list of school supplies for the 2023 school year is 233 euros for an elementary school student, compared to 190 euros in 2022 (+23%), 371 euros for a middle school student (+3.5%), and 427 euros for a high school student (+3.1%). 
 

Clothing and sports equipment are the categories most affected by the increase, with a 12% rise, while the cost of stationery has risen by 25%. 
 

To cope with this increase, families often choose to reuse school supplies from previous years. According to the CSF, 36% of school supplies in elementary school are reused. 
 

According to the GfK Institute, as of the end of July 2023, out of an average price of 3.36 euros paid per school supply item, a 0.25-euro increase was due to inflation.
For its part, last July, UFC-Que Choisir reported a 10% increase in school supply prices between July 2022 and July 2023. 
For students, the cost of the new school year averages more than 3,000 euros per student—a historic high, according to the FAGE (Federation of General Student Associations), which publishes its indicator of the cost of the academic year. According to this indicator, the 2023 academic year will cost 3,024 euros per student, compared to 2,889 euros the previous year (based on the new calculation methodology applied in 2023). 
 

The student union UNEF had published its own assessment, which projects a 6.47% increase in the cost of living for students for the 2023–2024 academic year.