10 Best Back-to-School Gifts for Students in 2026
Back-to-school season is creeping up fast, and the right gift can make the first week of classes feel a little less stressful for a student of any age. Create a free Giftings wishlist to save your favorites and share them with anyone shopping for a student in your life.
1. JanSport SuperBreak One Backpack
This is the backpack that shows up in school hallways every September for a reason. One main compartment, a front utility pocket that keeps small stuff organized instead of buried, and a lifetime warranty JanSport actually honors. Nearly 44,000 reviewers give it 4.6 stars.
2. Owala FreeSip Insulated Water Bottle
A water bottle earns its spot in a backpack by surviving daily drops between classes, and this one has more than 131,000 reviews behind it. The straw and the flip spout built into one lid means nobody has to choose between sipping and chugging.
3. Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens, 24-Count
Felt tip pens sound like a small gift until someone uses a full set of Flair pens for a semester of notes and gel pens start feeling cheap by comparison. Rated 4.8 stars across more than 78,000 reviews, for less than the cost of a fast food meal.
4. Crayola Ultra Clean Washable Markers, 40-Count
For a younger kid starting school, markers that wash off hands, desks, and most walls matter more than the color count. This 40-pack has both, and over 31,000 parents have kept coming back to it.
5. Five Star Spiral Notebook + Study App
A notebook that resists ink bleed-through sounds minor until page 40 of a semester. This one pairs a durable, water-resistant cover with a companion study app, giving a middle or high schooler an actual reason to open it instead of losing it in a locker.
6. EASTPAK Benchmark Pencil Case
EASTPAK built its name on backpacks that survive years of abuse, and the pencil case version holds up the same way. Water-resistant polyester and a zipper that doesn't split after a month of use, a real upgrade from the flimsy cases that fall apart by October.
7. Play-Doh Bulk Handout, 42-Pack
For a teacher, tutor, or parent stocking up before the first day, this bulk pack turns one gift into 42 individual ones. It's rated the top pick in its category with over 17,000 reviews, and it still feels like a real present to the kid opening a single can.
8. Smencils Scented Pencils, 10-Count
A regular pencil is forgettable. A gourmet-scented one made from recycled newspaper is the kind of small detail a kid actually brings up to friends. Cheap, different from the rest of the school supply list, and easy to toss into a bigger gift bundle.
9. 2026-2027 Hardcover Academic Planner
A planner only helps if someone keeps opening it, and a hardcover one with a full July-to-June layout tends to survive a school year better than the paperback versions that fall apart by winter break. It's an easy, low-cost add to round out a bigger gift.
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 24-Book Boxed Set
For a kid who needs a reason to put down a screen, the full Wimpy Kid series is a bigger swing than a single book. It costs more than everything else on this list, but it's also the only pick here that can occupy a kid through an entire school year of free reading time.
Save your back-to-school picks
Found something a student will actually use? Add these gifts to a free Giftings wishlist and send the link to family. They can view your list without creating an account, and you'll have the perfect gifts ready before the first bell rings.
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