School supply prices up nearly 8%; Lee’s Summit drive helps families cope

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

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The price of a standard back-to-school supply list increased at double the rate of inflation — nearly 8% — between 2025 and 2026, according to a Scripps News report.

Since 1992, Lee's Summit Social Services has helped the community battle back-to-school costs with its supply drive.

Courtesy: Lee's Summit Social Services

Megan Salerno, executive director of the social services organization, said when her grandma started the drive, it "used to just be on a 6-foot table."

As prices have increased, so has the need. Luckily, the supply drive has grown, too.

“Ten years ago, when I officially became an employee here, there were only 250 kids that came through the program," Salerno said. "Last year, there was 743.”

As a mom, Salerno knows how to shop for back-to-school supplies.

“That’s almost a full-time job in itself, being able to find those better deals and constantly have an eye on those specials to be able to get the most bang for our buck," she said.

Andrae Hannon/KSHB

Students in Lee's Summit Social Services' back-to-school program receive a free backpack full of school supplies that match their specific school and grade list, as well as an outfit and pair of shoes. The items are free through donations and grants.

Salerno estimated a backpack full of supplies for an elementary-aged child costs about $65 to $70, but that price increases for middle and high school students.

That list didn't include a lunchbox, which Scripps News says jumped 26.8% in price — from $14.91 to $18.91 — between 2025 and 2026. Other notable increases include one-subject notebooks and index cards, which went up by 23% and 22.2%, respectively.

Andrae Hannon/KSHB

When Salerno's grandma first founded the supply drive over three decades ago, volunteer Karen Taylor was taking her two children to shop for supplies.

“It is incredibly more expensive now than it was back then," Taylor said.

Now, Taylor helps her five grandchildren in the Lee's Summit R-7 School District with their back-to-school shopping. She said she volunteers with Lee's Summit Social Services' supply drive because she wants her grandkids' peers to feel supported, too.

“It is wonderful to see the joy on their faces, and they give you hugs and say thank you, and there is nothing more fulfilling," she said.

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