Parents Stunned by Nearly $900 Back-to-School Shopping Costs

The first-ever GMA/Ipsos Parents poll finds that a majority of parents with children in kindergarten through 12th grade say prices for things they normally buy for back-to-school shopping are more expensive this year than last year, and they expect to spend nearly $900 per child this year on items to get them ready to go back to the classroom.

The poll, which surveyed U.S. parents of children under 18 with children entering kindergarten through 12th grade, finds 68% saying things they normally buy are more expensive this year than they were last year, while 30% say prices are about the same.

Wider majorities of Democratic parents (76%) and independent parents (70%) say prices are more expensive than last year, while a smaller majority of Republican parents (56%) say they are more expensive.