Americans Face Higher Back to School Costs: Tariffs and Inflation Take a Toll on Families As summer draws to a close, families across America are bracing themselves for another year of sticker shock when it comes to back to school supplies and lunches.
A new analysis from The Century Foundation and Groundwork Collaborative reveals that the cost of a typical basket of school items has risen by nearly 8% this year, while school lunches have become 11% more expensive.
The primary culprit behind these rising costs is tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on imported goods.