Our Favorite Stores for Back-to-School Clothes 2024
Though we're not quite ready to let go of summer, our editors have been seeing some great back to school kids' apparel deals that just too good to pass up! Our editors are sharing their favorite place to shop for back to school clothes this season.
Even though we’re not ready to let go of summer just yet, our editors and their kids have begun thinking about the Back to School season. With some kids going back to school as early as August 12, the new school year is just around the corner. We've already found great deals on school supplies and are ready to move on to the fun part: a new back to school wardrobe!
Our editors have kids ranging from pre-k through college age, so we have rounded up our favorite stores for back to school apparel by age. You’ll find the best deals on school uniforms and learn how to score deals on the trendiest styles. Many of these stores have already begun offering great back to school deals, so now is the ideal time to score your kids a few new pieces for the fall.
Pre-K through Elementary
The Children’s Place
Our editors with elementary-age kiddos love shopping at the Children’s Place for great deals on back to school clothes and school uniform essentials. During the Back to School season, this store typically runs sales with savings up to 50% off the original prices. We recently spotted these School Uniform Polos for $6.48. They’re usually $12.95. This is a great deal because these polos are high quality and come in a wide range of colors. The Children’s Place typically has on-trend styles that kids and parents both love.
Old Navy
Old Navy is a great place to get Back to School clothes for your rapidly growing elementary age kids. They frequently run great sales so you can pick up the trendy styles of the season without worrying about spending too much money on something you know they’ll outgrow by next school year. You can also get great deals on uniforms here. We typically see kids’ uniform polos going for $5-$8 and bottoms for $12-$14.
Macy’s
We love shopping online at Macy’s because they have a low free shipping threshold. When you log into a Macy’s Rewards account, you’ll only have to spend $25 to avoid the $10.95 shipping fee. Recently we spotted a large selection of trendy Back-to-School Clothes for under $25. We also saw these 5-Piece Backpack Sets going for $20. Our editors love buying back to school backpack bundles like these because they’re a great value and help them avoid having to pick out matching items for their kids.
JCPenney
JCPenney is another great place to shop for your back-to-school kids of any age. They have a huge selection of kids’ clothes and accessories under $20. Our editors also love this store for back to school uniforms. You can typically get Izod polos for $8-$10 and bottoms from $12-$14. They also sell many 2-pack deals, so you can stock up on multiple uniform outfits for the school year at a great price. While we love this store for our elementary school-aged kids, they also have a large selection of trendy clothes at great prices for our older kids.
Middle & High School
Tillys
Tillys is a great place to shop for your middle school and high school aged kids who are increasingly concerned about looking “cool”. You can grab on-trend items like oversized sweaters, laid-back band tees, and distressed denim for up to 70% off when you shop their sale section. They offer lots of cool items in both adult and kids sizes. Our editors like to shop here for trendy skate-inspired brands like Vans and Primitive.
Walmart
Walmart has seriously upgraded their fashion items in recent years and they now offer many on-trend pieces at phenomenal price points. For our high-school aged kids, we love their Free Assembly, Time and Tru, and Athletic Works lines. These pieces tend to be stylish and we’re often surprised by their quality for the price. For our middle-school aged kids, our editors love their Wonder Nation line for cool tees and denim. We typically find tops for around $6-$8 and denim for around $10-$15.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s is our editors’ go-to store for the higher ticket apparel items like shoes and backpacks. Our favorite times to shop during sales that offer Kohl’s Cash. They typically will reward you with $10 back on every $50 you spend. Recently, our editors found name-brand backpacks for up to 50% off. They were able to score a great deal and received $10 to use on a future purchase. Our editors with high school-aged kids also love that they can buy Sephora at Kohl’s, so they’re able to earn Kohl’s Reward points on their kids’ favorite beauty brands like Drunk Elephant.
Nordstrom Rack
Nordstrom Rack is another editor favorite for high school and middle school aged kids. We’re able to find great deals on brands our kids love like Nike and Ugg. For our image-conscious teens, our editors love to shop the Rack for deals on trendy styles. These pieces are often from quality brands, so we appreciate that we’ll get a little more longevity out of them. Shipping is free when you spend $79, so we recommend doing enough shopping to avoid the $9.95 fee.
College
lululemon
Lululemon is a great choice for college-age kids because not only is it a popular brand among young adults, they are known for their quality. A pair of lululemon leggings may come at a higher price point, they will likely last your college-age kid well beyond their four years of college. These pieces are hard to find on sale, but our editors often score great deals by shopping the We Made Too Much Section. Inventory is limited, but we’ve been known to find pieces for up to 50% off their original prices.
Nike
Our college-age kids live in their Nikes, so we’re always looking for a discount on the hottest styles. Recently, we spotted deals of up to 50% off Nike Dunks and 50% off Nike Air Force 1s by shopping at their back-to-school sale event. Nike’s sale section typically offers the best deals on Nike shoes. Our editors recommend signing up for a free Nike+ account to be notified about their latest sales. You’ll also get free shipping when you spend $50 an are logged into your account.
Amazon
Amazon is a great place to shop for college dorm essentials and dupes of high-end products that our college-bound students love. Recently we spotted this Laslulu Fleece Lined Collar Pullover which is a great dupe for the popular lululemon Scuba Half-Zip. Ours cost $78 less than the brand name and is still a great quality! Amazon makes our list because not only can we find great deals on apparel and accessories, but our editors typically stock up on snacks and health and beauty essentials for our college-age students here as well.
Reebok
Reebok is a great place to find trendy activewear for our sporty college students and right now they are having a phenomenal Back to School sale. Through 8/13, you can save
60% on athletic shoes and apparel when you apply the promo code BACKTOSCHOOL during checkout. Shipping is free when you sign into a free Reebok account. Otherwise, it adds $7. During the sale you can take 35% off full-priced styles and 50% off already-reduced sale styles for a total savings of up to 60%. For example, the pictured women's NanoFlex TR 2.0 Training Shoes drop from $100 to $37.48 which is 60% off the list price and is the lowest price we could find anywhere.