Schools

Here's Your Back-to-School Shopping Guide

Unsure about the school supplies needed for the coming school year? Fear not, Patch has a checklist of commonly-needed school supplies and the best deals around town.

The start of the school year is just around the corner—next Wednesday for SVUSD students!—and eager parents can already hear the striking of school bells in their heads. It's a great time of year because it means silence and peace, at least until around 3 p.m.

Unfortunately, the hassle of back-to-school shopping isn't always as pleasant. Lines, screaming children, messy aisles and California traffic are the norm while out gathering supplies, not to mention the confusion that arises from parents who are uncertain about the supplies needed for the coming school year.

But parents, there’s no need to stress. Patch has everything covered with a list of the most commonly-needed school supplies, listed below. The list compares the best deals and sales found around town, and there's many, so enjoy!

Find out what's happening in Scotts Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There's also a list of donations needed by most schools, so that those in a position to give have ideas readily available. Read on parents, because once your back-to-school shopping’s complete, the sound of those school bells is going to get a lot louder.

Elementary School

Find out what's happening in Scotts Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • No. 2 pencils
  • Spiral notebook
  • Box of crayons
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Children’s scissors
  • 2 Paper folders
  • Ruler
  • Erasers
  • Paper
  • Glue sticks
  • Mr. Sketchy felt pins (for kindergarteners)
  • Pencils

Middle school/high school:

  • No. 2 pencils
  • Spiral notebook
  • Composition notebook
  • A 3-inch, 3-ring binder
  • Wide-ruled filler paper
  • Black ink pens
  • Dictionary
  • Highlighter
  • Colored pencils
  • Scissors
  • Erasers
  • Paper folders
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Scientific calculator
  • 3x5 index cards
  • Ruler
  • Dividing subject tabs

Items Needed for Donation:

  • Erasers
  • Personal tissues
  • Anti-bacterial hand gels
  • Glue sticks
  • 3-ring binder paper
  • Standard pencils, not decorated
  • Dollar donations to school clubs
  • Case of 8.5X11 white copier paper (something that every teacher and school can use and that's also easy to find at school supply stores)
  • Dry erase markers or chalk

Best School-Supply Deals Around Town:

Palace Art & Office Supply, located at 1407 Pacific Ave.,
Santa Cruz and 501 41st Ave., Capitola

Palace Art & Office Supply has some great deals on everything from notebooks to copy paper. Notebooks range from $1.89 to $7.49, plus most of them are by Environotes, which uses 100 percent recycled paper. Other great deals include kids' scissors for $1.99 and copy paper from $4.39 to $9.99.

Best Deals

  • Plastic rulers, 59¢
  • Subject dividing tabs, 5 count, C-Cline, 99¢
  • Kids' scissors, Fiskars, $1.99
  • College ruled paper refills, 200 sheets, $2.99
  • Composition notebooks, Environotes. Deal: on sale for $1.99, originally $2.59
  • Notebooks, 5-subject, Environotes, 200 sheets, $7.49
  • Notebooks, 1-subject, Tops, 80 sheets, $1.89
  • 3-ring binders, $1.29
  • Portfolio folders, two pocket, 89 cents to $1.49
  • Prang crayons, 8 count for 84 cents
  • Crayola crayons: 64 count for $4.99, 96 count for $7.49, 120 count for $14.50
  • Crayola colored pencils: 8 count for $1.99, 12 count for $2.49, 24 count for $4.69, 36 count for $7.34, 50 count for $9.99
  • Expo dry erase markers, 8 count for $11.99
  • White copy paper, 500 sheets,  $4.39 to $9.99

Affordable school supplies are definitely this chain's goal. It has most back-to-school needs covered with great deals ranging from eraser and pencil-sharpener sets for $1 to an array of basic and scientific calculators from $5.49 to $21.99. It also has plenty of donateable school items, including deals on Expo dry erase markers and Kleenex tissues.

Best Deals

  • Expo dry erase markers, 4-count, $5.89 to 6.49. Deal: buy one get one 50 percent off
  • Kleenex tissues, 75 sheets, 4-box, $10.00
  • Notebooks, 1-subject, $2.49
  • Notebooks, 3-subject, Caliber, $5.79
  • Composition notebooks, 3-subject, Caliber, $3.29. Deal: buy one get one free
  • College ruled paper refills, 150 sheets, Caliber, $3.95. Deal: buy one get one free
  • Erasers, Caliber, 2-count, $1
  • Eraser and pencil sharpener set, Caliber, $1
  • Binders, 3-ring, ½ inch, Caliber, $4.39
  • Subject dividing tabs, 5-count, Avery, $1.99
  • Mechanical pencils, No. 2, 10-count, Paper Mate, $4.39
  • Black pens, 10-count, Bic, $5.49
  • Index cards, 3x5, Caliber. Deal: on sale for $4.39, originally $5.99
  • Portfolio folders, 2-pocket, Animal Planet, 99¢
  • Rulers, $1.27 to $10.99
  • Calculators, $5.49 to $21.99
  • Crayola crayons: 16-count for $2.57. Deal: buy one get one 50 percent off
  • Crayola colored pencils, 24-count for $9.99. Deal: buy one get one 50 percent off
  • Expo dry erase markers, 4-count, $5.89 to 6.49. Deal: buy one get one 50 percent off
  • Kleenex tissues, 75 sheets, 4-boxes, $10.00
  • CVS-brand tissues, 100 sheets, $2.19 each

:

For the next two weeks, target will have a sale on everything from pens and pencils to 5-Star notebooks and gluesticks, all for under 1 dollar. The store's stocked tech department is also featuring some great specials on Texas Instruments graphing calculators, thumb-drives and printers.

Best Deals

  • Notebooks, 1-subject, 99¢ to $4.99
  • Notebooks, 4-subject, 200 pages, Mead, $6.99
  • Crayons, 4-pack, 8-count, Favor, $2
  • Binders, 3-ring, Avery, $6.79 
  • Children's backpacks, $9 to $13
  • Insulated lunch kits, $10
  • Mid-size backpacks, $22 to $26
  • 12" wooden ruler, 50¢
  • Pencil boxes and pouches, 50¢
  • Erasers, 20¢
  • Pencil sharpeners, 20¢
  • RoseArt glue sticks, 2-count, 20¢
  • RoseArt crayons and markers. Deal: get a free, 24-count, pack of RoseArt crayons with the purchase of RoseArt colored pencils
  • Kids' scissors, 2-count, 99¢
  • Black pens, 10-count, Paper Mate, 90¢
  • Mechanical pencils, 8-count, Bic, 90¢
  • Highlighters, 3-count, Sharpie, 90¢
  • Standard book covers, 50¢
  • Dictionaries, $2 to $5
  • Index cards, 100-count, 50¢
  • USB drive, 8GB, Lexar, $9
  • Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculator, $90
  • Lexmark, X5650 AIO, 4-in-1 printer, $44.99


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Scotts Valley