23 School Supplies To Always Have On Hand

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

You'll have supplies ready to go for that last-minute project your kiddo forgot to mention.

BuzzFeed Staff

BTW: reviewers say you can also use this for printing as well!

Promising review: "This is a great assortment for school projects, Lots of vibrant colors and not like the cheap construction paper, bonus you can print anything on them also, Well worth it for back to school projects that involve lots of colors." —georgia

Get a pack of 150 from Amazon for $9.23.

Promising reviews: "Best T-shirts ever. They are thicker, not cheap feeling or looking." —Deborah D.

"These colors are so nice, my son loves the options! They fit great too. They do not shrink much and the colors have stayed in good condition after many washes. The collars are also good. Some brands struggle keeping a good structure, but these are great." —Denny

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in sizes 3T–13 and in various color combinations).

Promising review: "Needed letters for a quick T-shirt project for my daughter. These iron on letters arrived in a day and worked great! Cut out well, adhered cleanly and easily. Very happy." —Wendy Deer

Get a pack of 440 from Amazon for $9.99 (also available in packs of 500 and 880).

Promising review: "Clean scent and doesn't leave any residue. Hands feel soft even with repeated use." —silverfox

Get a pack of 12 eight-ounce bottles from Amazon for $25.99 (also available in other sizes and packs).

Promising reviews: "Starbucks cards, always the best. All the teachers love them!" —iiian

"Used as teacher gifts and they were loved by all." —E. Lawry

Get five $20 gifts cards from Amazon for $100.

Promising review: "These were great for a last-minute class project. Sturdy for middle school students!" —Judy

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $24.99 (also available in packs of 12 and 24).

Great news: these are dishwasher safe!

Promising review: "These are the perfect size for snackies and hold up great after washes! I love that I’m not using and throwing away plastic snack bags all the time." —ktbauman

Get a pack of two from Target for $7.99+ (available in four color/style combinations).

Promising reviews: "Y'all, please get bulk stuff like this for teachers throughout the school year. They do not make enough to be buying all these extra classroom supplies, and the basics they're given don't last... Got these for all three of our son's teachers in a supply box, and they loved it." —Christopher and Maggie

"Best pencils you can buy! I bought these for my son's math teacher, who was in desperate need of pencils, and she was thrilled! It was such a great deal, but even if it wasn't, I still would have purchased these. They last longer and are way higher quality than other brands. The fact that they were already sharpened and ready for use made it an even better gift." —courtneyhennagir

Get a pack of 72 from Amazon for $11.24 (also available in packs of four, 10, 18, and 30).

Promising review: "Best erasers ever!!! I donated a box of these to my daughter's class. The teacher said they were absolutely amazing. The quality is like a standard rectangle eraser. They are so much better than the regular pencil top erasers. And they do not rip, and the tops do not pop off. I would highly recommend these. I am going to order a couple more boxes." —Shopper

Get a pack of 144 from Amazon for $7.18.

Promising review: "I bought this for my son's sixth-grade classroom (he's the teacher!). He uses this during group projects." —Renee Smith

Get a pack of six rolls with dispensers from Amazon for $13.49.

Promising review: "Great class gift. I bought for my son's classroom, good value." —Desirae

Get 12 packs of 12 colored pencils from Amazon for $25.11.

Promising reviews: "These composition books arrived in a timely fashion and well packed. Not flimsy like ones I had purchased in the past, but exactly like the ones we used in school. Cover is thick enough to be sturdy so it won't get damaged easily." —rkmdjm

"These are sturdy, the paper is thick enough that basic ink does not bleed through. There are 100 pages, most only have 80. Well sewn together with sturdy cardboard cover. My son uses these daily, going through about three to four a week. So this is a great buy for him. I will purchase again when we need them!" —JIW

Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $19.70.

Promising review: "Great for kids. Leakproof, dishwasher safe, and easy to use." —Momof3

Get two from Target for $18.50.

BTW: this pack includes 12 AA and 12 AAA batteries.

Promising review: "Does exactly what the name brands do! I've purchased double and triple A for the past two years. Never had a problem with being DOA. Longevity, durable, and economic are the best ways I can describe them. Use them for my drones, remotes for TVs, desk calculator, smoke detector, and mini flashlight and have not any issues." —Sherry A Foster

Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $12.82 (also available in a 48-pack).

This kit includes: three pocket highlighters, two large highlighters, three fine-point and two ultra-fine point permanent markers, six mechanical pencils, one lead refill, six pencils, two erasers, five ballpoint pens, two gel pens, two chisel tip and one ultra-fine tip low odor markers, one bottle of liquid glue, and two disappearing purple glue sticks.

Promising review: "Pretty much has everything a student needs to begin school!" —Kristine

Get it from Amazon for $18.75.

In college, I was an English major and that meant I was always reading several books at once. It was annoying trying to track down books in time for my assignments and also my bag was weighed down by all the books I had to carry. I never thought I'd love an e-reader, but I quickly fell in love with my Kindle. I loved being able to download a book in seconds instead of searching through aisles of books at a bookstore or library only to find out they didn't have what I needed.

Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in 8 GB or 16 GB and three colors).

This kit includes pom poms, feathers, four glitter glues, colorful wooden ice pop sticks, pipe cleaners, foam flower, construction paper, safety scissors, and an assortment of buttons.

Promising review: "My kids are back in school and have been having to do a ton of projects. Instead of going to the store all of the time and losing the individual packets all the supplies come in, I now have some of each thing all in a waterproof plastic container. It makes life a little bit easier." —am

Get it from Amazon for $15.98+ (available in a jar or storage box and in various sizes).

Promising review: "I love this paper for college. Color coded by class keeps me organized. The paper is thick. I can use both sides for note taking. Great investment for classes. Notes last the entire term." —Pdxgenesis

Get a set of three from Amazon for $15+ (available in college, wide, and graph styles, a pack with assorted colors, and in packs of three, four, 12, and 24).

Promising reviews: "My son specifically requested this brand for school. He loves them." —Klunk

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $19.99.

Promising review: "Do you want to make an elementary school teacher happy? Give them this. I've taught first grade for nine years. You would be surprised by how many glue sticks a first-grader uses in a typical year. You might think that we asked for a lot of glue sticks at the beginning of the year, but I can almost guarantee you that those glue sticks will be gone by Christmas. The rest of the year the teacher buys the glue sticks." —Amy

Get a pack of 30 from Amazon for $10.99 (also available in a pack of 60).

Promising review: "Fantastic teacher's gift. Apparently teachers LOVE these; I got more 'thank yous' for sending these to my kids' teachers than I ever do with a Starbucks gift card." —mndyj33

Promising review: "My favorite school supply. I am a middle school teacher, and I don't think I could ever have too many of these Flair pens. I like the way they feel in my hand, and how vivid the color is on paper. I use them on absolutely everything, and the kids notice because I always get some for Christmas! My favorite!" —Christopher Canales

Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $19.59 (also available in packs of 12, 16, and 28, and two styles).

Promising review: "Bought this for my children's teachers. Split one box between each kid and found it way cheaper than the $4 pack of three skinny ones from local stores. It also helps the teacher out by donating to a child whose parents may not be able to get the basic resources for them. Also, because the marker is thick and round, I believe it helps young kids grasp better." —Dustin F.

Get a pack of 36 from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in yellow and two assorted color options).

Promising review: "My third-graders' hands are too big for the 'safety' scissors so we bought these big kid scissors. Great value, and they love using the bigger, easier to handle, and faster to use scissors! Cuts the cutting time down! (Pun intended!!)" —Haikaichi

Get a pack of 20 from Amazon for $16.31+ (also available in packs of five and 60).

Reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.