Back-to-school gets more expensive, study says

A study appears to confirm what many parents already suspected – it costs more every year to get kids ready for school.

Each year, Huntington Bank compiles its “Backpack Index,” which lists the price of school supplies, extracurricular fees and college prep materials.

Here’s what the study found for the price of basic supplies like paper, pencils, notebooks and glue:

•The cost for elementary school students grew from $189 last year to $198 this year.

•The cost for middle school students grew from $312 to $348

•The cost for high school students grew from $351 to $380

Those prices include some items that could be one-time purchases, like calculators, backpacks and combination locks, so the total cost may not be that high each year.

Things get even pricier if a student participates in extra-curricular activities, with hundred-dollar fees to join an athletic team or band, not to mention purchase or rentals of instruments or equipment.

And if a student is getting ready for college, a family might need to fork over hundreds more on test prep books, fees for the SAT and ACT exams, and the cost of Advanced Placement tests.

All things considered, the study suggests it could cost as much as $649 for an elementary, $941 for middle school, and a whopping $1,402 for high school.

“With the ongoing slow growth in wages, it is difficult for many families to meet the rising costs of sending children to school,” said George Mokrzan, the bank’s director of economics, in a news release.

A recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that almost one in five Delaware children lives in poverty.

Alvin Walker, pastor of Faith Victory Christian Center in Claymont, says he’s seen more and more parents coming to the church for help with school supplies.

“The price tag just keeps getting bigger,” Walker said. “If parents have three kids or four kids, they just can’t afford to give them the necessary tools.”

Walker says kids who find themselves using raggedy or broken school supplies – or who go without supplies entirely – find “their confidence shattered.” Most schools do what they can to help outfit students, but sometimes kids still go without the equipment they’re expected to have.

Four years ago, the church started an annual event in which it gives out backpacks and other supplies to families.

This year, the event is on Saturday, August 1, from 12 to 6 p.m. at Cool Spring Park in Wilmington. To register, call 798-2794.

“When a kid gets that new backpack, gets those things he needs, you can just see how it motivates them,” Walker said. “It gives them confidence.”

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.