Back-to-School 2026: Priorities of Canadian Parents

For many Canadian families, back-to-school season is already underway, but the questions it raises do not end once school supplies have been purchased. Between the cost of back-to-school shopping, children’s well-being, and the skills they will need later in life, parents’ concerns extend from their everyday lives to how well their children are being prepared for adulthood.

Our latest survey looks at these two dimensions of back-to-school season: parents’ choices when purchasing school supplies, as well as their perceptions of the role schools play in preparing their children for the future.

• 72% of respondents prefer to purchase school supplies themselves, item by item.
• 69% plan to shop at big-box stores.
• 73% say price is among the main factors influencing their choice of store or supplier.
• 81% are confident that schools are adequately preparing their children for life after graduation.
• 63% would like financial literacy and money management to receive more attention in schools.

Price remains the main factor influencing the choice of store or supplier for school supplies (73%), ahead of product quality (50%) and the ability to find all required items in one place (30%).

Meanwhile, 72% of parents prefer to purchase school supplies themselves, item by item, up 10 percentage points from last year. A minority prefer to purchase a pre-assembled kit from the school’s supplier (15%) or pay the school directly to provide the supplies (10%).

Big-box stores remain the most commonly planned place to shop, at 69%, up 8 points from 2025. Online shopping ranks second (37%), followed by dollar stores (33%).

Canadian parents generally have confidence in schools’ ability to prepare their children for what comes next. Overall, 81% are confident, including 25% who are very confident, while 15% have little or no confidence.

This confidence is accompanied by clear expectations about the skills children should develop. Financial literacy and money management (63%) rank first among the areas parents feel should receive more attention in schools, followed by critical thinking and problem-solving (47%) and practical everyday life skills (43%).

For the school year now underway, parents’ concerns extend beyond academic performance. Mental health or emotional well-being (34%) ranks first, followed by academic performance (30%).

Bullying or cyberbullying (27%) and screen time (27%) are also among the most frequently mentioned concerns, followed by social integration (26%). Parents’ concerns therefore span academic learning, well-being, and their children’s social lives.

This online survey was conducted among 372 Canadians aged 18 or older who have school-aged children in their household. Respondents were randomly recruited through Leger’s LEO online panel and could complete the survey in English or French. Results were weighted by age, gender, mother tongue, region, education level, and the presence of children in the household to ensure the sample was representative of the Canadian population in scope. Percentages have been rounded, so totals may differ slightly from the sum of the percentages shown. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of no more than ±5.01 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.