Teacher School Supplies Wish List Must-Haves

It’s the end of July and you know what that means?! It’s BACK TO SCHOOL TIME! Cue the confetti and the wine (joking, joking…). Back to school time is one of my favorite times of the year, I mean I’m a teacher so it’s like practically a requirement to enjoy the back-to-school rush. So I’m making my teacher school supplies wish list while sitting poolside. Who doesn’t want to catch a few more rays of sunshine while online shopping?

I’m breaking this list into a few different categories for easy reading. Don’t feel like you have to buy everything, I’m not! Some of these things are on my teacher school supplies wish list while others really are the best teacher classroom organization supplies. So let’s dive in!

How much teachers spend on classroom supplies?

This is a personal question and depending on what you teach and what your school provides you are going to get different answers. During some school years, I had to provide for everything myself. Other years, the teacher school supplies list was small.

If you are starting a new school or district, be sure to ask what is provided. Sometimes schools have extra teacher school supplies like staplers and tape dispensers. Other times everything is on your teacher school supplies wish list. 

This question also depends on what your students will bring. Maybe every student brings every supply on the list. Maybe very few students do. Either situation will change your supply list. For me, I fall somewhere in the middle. Most students will bring what I request but there are students that can’t so I will provide for them. 

New Teacher Supplies List

Ah, to be a first year teacher again…

Like so many other teachers will tell you, don’t buy everything! This new teacher supplies list is all you really need to make the teaching magic happen. 

Depending on what grade level you teach and what your school provides you, you might need more or even less than this list. My current school provides so much for a classroom which is amazing but that wasn’t the case at my last school. Each school and district is different so be sure to ask questions about the supplies you need. Nothing is worse than making a new teacher supplies list only to find out the school just gives it to you. Again, first-world problems but always ask!

Basic Teacher School Supplies

Pencils

Try to get nicer ones like Ticonderoga but if not, that’s ok! At the middle school level, we go through pencils like water. Therefore its quantity over quality. I usually buy this pack from Amazon because they are cheap and come pre-sharpened. 

Pencil sharpener

This is my top splurge every couple of years. Get a good pencil sharpener and you won’t regret it.

Erasers 

I like to have a few erasers on hand in case a student asks for one. I don’t put these in the community supply bins because they somehow always get cut in half.

Notebooks 

Get the same kind that is on your grade level supply list so that you can pull out an extra for students that need it. For me, we use 8.5×11” size notebooks for science so I always pick up quite a few to have for students. 

Folders

If you use folders instead of math interactive notebooks like me, get a couple of extras of the style you like. Again, it’s easy to slip to a student who needs one.

Scissors

If you plan lessons with scissors and glue then be sure to stock up on a few pairs for students to use. Depending on how many students you teach and how often you use them will determine the number.

Glue 

I’m a diehard glue stick lover, but you do you! My school actually provides the glue for us so this isn’t something I buy but I do keep stocked in my classroom.

Binders

This is how I organize my master copies. I know, I’m a bit old school like that. But I like having a physical copy of what we did the previous year and it makes planning so much easier. I also have a fancy binder for my lesson planner and teacher binder set up. If you want to know more about that, then be sure to check out this blog post. 

Teacher Pens

No matter if you are team Ink Joy or team Flair Pen (#givemealltheflairpens) be sure to pick up a pack of new pens for the year. This is one of those teacher school supplies wish list items that I buy each and every year.

Markers/Crayons

I personally love crayons and bought a giant class set of them last year with some department money we had left over. In elementary school, I’d collect all of the coloring supplies and put them into our community supplies so that everyone could use whichever they prefer. While I don’t color as much in middle school, there’s an activity every so often that needs crayons. 

Teacher classroom organization supplies

I love an organized classroom so these teacher classroom organization supplies should come as no surprise. I actually wait until I start setting up my classroom before I add to my collection of storage bins. These are some of my favorite styles if you are dying to get a jump start on your teacher school supplies wish list.

Clear bins with Lids

These have worked for storing math manipulatives, leveled reading books, and science experiment supplies over my years of teaching. They are basic but versatile and I seem to always find them on sale or bundled in groups. This option even comes with a pen to make labeling easy!

Teacher Classroom Organization Supplies: The Book Bin

The dollar store ($1.25? store) is a teacher classroom supplies cheap option. I have a few that I used in my classroom library and to organize student supplies. The book bins from Target or Really Good Stuff are of higher quality, but with a higher price tag.

Plastic Open Storage

The Target Dollar Spot is a fan favorite for teacher school supplies wish list shopping. I have a few different sizes and styles that I currently use to organize science lab supplies and store math learning center games. I like plastic because I can wipe them down if needed. The fabric ones are cute but I don’t have many of those. This option comes in a pack of 6 making it a great purchase for table bins.

Turn in Bin

This is a huge part of my teacher classroom organization supplies list. I have just 1 bin for my 4 classes to make it easy for students to turn in assignments. 1 turn-in bin works for me but it doesn’t for other middle school years. My bin is from Target and has lasted 5 years! Another option is something like this with different shelves for different subjects or periods. 

Teacher school supplies wish list item: 10 Drawer Cart

My love for this goes DEEP! Seriously the best invention to keep me organized no matter what grade I teach. It’s held everything from math station games to reading group materials and now it holds my copies for the week. So versatile and sturdy, it should be on every teacher school supplies wish list! I talk more about this little guy in this blog post on ways to stop drowning in papers!

Teacher Tool Box

This is another teacher classroom organization supplies must have. It keeps me organized with all the little things like bandaids, thumbtacks, and post-it notes. I don’t know where I would be without it. Find a bunch of different teacher toolbox options here. 

Teacher classroom supplies cheap places to shop

I’m all about saving money so these are my picks for teacher classroom supplies cheap options. Quality is sometimes better than quantity when it comes to supplies that students will use. My philosophy is that if kids are using it more than I am, it needs to be inexpensive in case it needs to be replaced.

Dollar Store

Target

Walmart

Big Lots

At Home

Amazon

Teacher school supplies online

More of an online shopper? Amazon will probably be the number one place to go, but I have also had amazing luck on Facebook Marketplace. Especially for storage bins and furniture for the classroom. Sometimes people will even give you things for free if you say it’s for your classroom so don’t be afraid to ask!

Looking for more teacher school supplies wish list ideas?

These blog posts and videos have a bunch of teacher school supplies wish list hauls and ideas to get your brain juices flowing. 

• 20 Must Have Teacher Supplies
• Ultimate Amazon Wishlist for New Elementary Teachers
• Here’s What Teachers Really Have on Their Classroom Wishlists
• How to Use an Amazon Wish List to Get Supplies for Your Classroom
• Classroom Organization
• 15 Classroom Organization Hacks Every Teacher Should Know 
• Stop Drowning in Papers
• Lesson Planner and Teacher Binder Set Up

What’re your favorite teacher school supplies wish list item? Anything you’d add to my must-haves? Drop your ideas in the comments below!