Get a Head Start on Your School Shopping With This List of 20+ Essentials on Amazon
It seems like summer just started, but here we are: already a month out from the start of the new school season. And if you're looking to get a head start on your back-to-school shopping, we're here to help with a list of essentials that are just a click away on Amazon.
We've included options for students of various ages, from elementary school to college, and everything has a minimum shopper rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Many of these items are also Prime-eligible, meaning they'll show up to your door within two days if you have a Prime membership. And best of all, they're all on sale for discounts of up to 50% off!
From laptops to lunch boxes, shop our top picks below!
20+ Back-to-School Essentials to Snag on Amazon
Backpacks and Laptop Bags
- MATEIN Laptop Backpack, $19 (originally $34)
- MATEIN Messenger Bag, $27 (originally $40)
- LOVEVOOK Bookbag with Water Bottle Pocket, $25 (originally $50)
- JanSport SuperBreak One Backpack, $28 (originally $40)
- Trail Maker 17″ Kids' Backpack, $9 (originally $10)
- BAGSMART Puffy Laptop Tote, $22 (originally $30)
Laptops, Tablets and Hard Drives
- Dell Pro 15 Essential 15.6″ FHD Laptop, $650 (originally $1,199)
- HP Stream 14″ HD Laptop with Copilot AI, $299 (originally $499)
- Apple 13″ MacBook Air, $1,449 (originally $1,599)
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, $432 (originally $480)
- WD 5TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive, $215 (originally $285)
Headphones and Earbuds
- Acer Kids Bluetooth Headphones, $19 (originally $24)
- TOZO Pro Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, $60 (originally $80)
- JBL Tune Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $39 (originally $60)
- Beats Solo 4 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $150 (originally $200)
- Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds, $99 (originally $129)
Lunch Boxes and Water Bottles
- BAGSMART Double Deck Insulated Lunch Bag, $21 (orginally $25)
- Lorotoco Silicone Snack Container for Kids, $10 (originally $16)
- ENCOOL Leakproof Insulated Water Bottle, $17 (originally $20)
- STANLEY All Day Mini Lunch Box, $34 (originally $45)
- STANLEY Quencher H2.0 Tumbler, $25 (originally $35)
- Hydro Flask Lunch Box for Kids, $30 (originally $40)
- PackIt Freezable Playtime Lunch Box, $25 (originally $33)
Calculators, Portable Chargers and More
- AsperX 20,000mAh Laptop Power Bank, $70 (originally $90)
- Casio fx-300ES Plus Standard Scientific Calculator, $10 (originally $16)
- Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator, $95 (originally $111)
- JSAUX USB-C Cable 2-Pack, $7 (originally $9)
- Mead Spiral Notebook 6-Pack, $7 (originally $9)
- Pilot G2 Pens 4-Pack, $6 (originally $11)
Copyright: Copyright 2026 McClatchy Media. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 2:05 PM.