School expenses in 2026 are expected to set families back a staggering $14.4 billion.That equates to $2847 for each primary school child and $5310 for secondary students on average.
Victorians are expected to feel the burden even more in 2026, after last year's state government School Saving Bonus, that provided $400 to each child for uniforms, school activities and textbooks, was not renewed.
In another survey by comparison site Compare the Market, many parents planned to cover back-to-school costs with credit cards, by now, pay later services or through personal loans.
Spokesperson Chris Ford encouraged parents to try to limit debt where possible and look for other ways to save, to help cover school costs.
"Most schools will sell good quality second-hand uniforms, or you could try organising a free swap with friends who've out-grown their old gear," he said.
"Remember the stationary list is a guide, not a rule book.
"Crunch the numbers, compare prices and scratch anything off the list that you already have in the bag."
Western Sydney University associate professor Michelle Cull said while back-to-school could often be hard on families under financial strain, now was a good time to give kids a valuable learning opportunity about budgeting.
"Give your child a budget and ask them to help make a list of items they will need for the school year and search to find the best prices," Ms Cull said on Tuesday."You can discuss considerations such as quality, bulk purchases, special features, and travel/delivery costs in addition to which items are needs versus wants."
Another added cost of returning to school is unplanned school, kinder and childcare closures thanks to extreme heat and fire risk conditions, according to Parents for Climate chief Nic Seton.
Better school design, including shading, cooling and solar power could help mitigate the need to close schools on fire days, that often leaving working parents scrambling to get care or take days off work - another squeeze on the purse strings.
"If you're already needing to make spending decisions about cooling, and then being kept out of work or having to respond on the fly, especially if you're not in a situation where that gets remunerated anyway - it's a big issue," he told AAP.
As parts of Victoria and South Australia are tipped to near 50C on Tuesday, a number of schools have been closed or relocated.
Schools across the country will return to class over coming days, Education Minister Jason Clare declaring 2026 will be a time of major reform and extra funding for public schools.
The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, which impacts all states and territories, will start to roll out this year and is worth $16.5 billion over the next 10 years.
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