School Supplies List and Budget by Grade Level

TL;DR: A full basic-supplies basket runs roughly ₱500-1,000 for kinder and early elementary, ₱700-1,500 for upper elementary and junior high, ₱1,000-2,000 for senior high, and ₱1,200-2,500+ for college depending on course, based on DTI's SY 2026-2027 school supplies price guide and typical retail ranges. Public schools cannot legally require you to buy supplies from the school itself: DepEd Order No. 65, s. 1990 bars that outright, and DepEd's no collection policy (DO 19, s. 2008) bars fee collection at enrollment. Compare at least two retailers against DTI's suggested price range before buying in bulk, since the same item can vary by more than double between stores.

Every June, "school supplies list" becomes one of the most searched phrases in the Philippines, and for good reason: the list changes by grade level, prices move every year, and it's not always clear what a school is actually allowed to ask you to buy. This guide breaks the checklist down by level with real peso ranges sourced from the Department of Trade and Industry's own price guide, then covers the rule that matters most for public school parents: what counts as required versus what the school cannot force you to purchase. If you're budgeting for the whole school year and not just supplies, see our back-to-school budget breakdown for the full picture including tuition, uniforms, and transport.

What Supplies Does Kinder and Lower Elementary Need?

Kinder through Grade 3 supply lists center on basic writing, coloring, and fine-motor materials, and typically cost ₱500-1,000 for a full basic set. DTI's SY 2026-2027 school supplies price guide, released June 4, 2026, put writing and composition notebooks (80 leaves) at ₱13-52, pencils at ₱12-18 per piece, crayon boxes at ₱12-114 depending on color count, and erasers at ₱8-20.

A typical basic list at this level:

• 2-3 notebooks or a composition book (₱13-52 each)
• Pencils, 1 box (₱15-24)
• Crayons, 8-24 color box (₱12-60 for most standard sets)
• Eraser and sharpener (₱8-20, ₱16-69)
• Bond paper or construction paper for projects (₱30-50 for a small pack)
• Glue stick, blunt scissors, small ruler (₱20-40 combined, budget brands)

Disclaimer: prices are suggested retail ranges and vary by store, brand, and region. Confirm current prices with your retailer before budgeting in bulk.

What Does DTI's Price Guide Say About Supply Costs?

DTI publishes a "Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies" (School Supplies Price Guide) ahead of every school year specifically because the same item can be priced very differently across retailers. The SY 2026-2027 guide lists spiral notebooks at ₱14-49, yarn notebooks at ₱14-47, grade pad paper at ₱13-37 per pad, intermediate pad paper at ₱22-69.75 per pad, ballpens at ₱3-21 per piece, and rulers at ₱8-32.

DTI released this guide "to give consumers more options as they shop for school supplies ahead of the new academic year," and urged buyers to check product labels and specifications, not just price, before buying. The wide spread within each row is normal: a no-brand pencil and a name-brand imported one both fall inside the range, and store type (bazaar versus mall bookstore) is usually the biggest driver of where a specific item lands.

What Supplies Do Upper Elementary and Junior High Need?

Grades 4-10 add intermediate pad paper, folders, and organization items on top of the basic kit, pushing typical baskets to ₱700-1,500. At this stage lists commonly include:

• Intermediate pad paper, 2-3 pads (₱22-70 each)
• Folders and clear books for projects (₱15-40 each)
• A basic calculator for math and science subjects, junior high onward (₱150-500 for a simple 8-digit model)
• Compass and protractor set for geometry (₱40-100)
• Art supplies for MAPEH: colored pencils or watercolor set (₱100-300)

Junior high supply lists vary more by school than elementary ones do, since individual teachers often specify project materials (illustration board, manila paper, cartolina) as the school year progresses. Budget an extra ₱500-1,000 across the year for these one-off project materials on top of the starting checklist.

What Supplies Does Senior High School Need?

Senior high supply costs run ₱1,000-2,000 for the basic kit, but a scientific calculator is the single biggest line item and can push the total past ₱2,000. A Casio FX-991ES Plus or similar scientific calculator, commonly required for STEM and general math subjects, retails around ₱1,100-1,900 based on current National Book Store listings, meaning it can cost more than the rest of the supply list combined.

Track-specific add-ons matter here:

• STEM: scientific calculator (₱1,100-1,900), graphing paper, lab notebook for science subjects
• ABM: basic calculator is usually sufficient, plus a ledger or accounting notebook for some subjects
• HUMSS/GAS: standard notebook and paper kit, no major specialty items
• TVL: track-specific tools (cooking, electrical, ICT) that the school usually itemizes separately and can add several thousand pesos depending on the specialization

Ask the school for the specific supply list before buying a scientific calculator model, since some SHS programs specify a particular model or function set required for exams.

What Supplies Does College Actually Require?

College supply costs range from ₱1,200 for a general education student to ₱2,500 or more for students in technical courses, and vary more by program than by year level. A liberal arts, business, or education student mainly needs notebooks, folders, and a basic calculator. Engineering, architecture, nursing, and design students face much higher costs: drafting sets, engineering calculators, lab coats, art materials, or specialized software and printing budgets that a generic supplies list can't capture.

Practical guidance for college:

• Wait for the syllabus or ask a block mate/upperclassman before buying anything beyond notebooks and folders in week one.
• Photocopy shops near campus (the "xerox" stalls common in university belts) are usually cheaper per-page than home printing for reading packets.
• USB drives and cloud storage have mostly replaced physical folders for submission in many programs; confirm what your specific professors require before over-buying physical organizers.

What Can Public Schools Legally Require You to Buy?

A public school can hand you a general supply list; it cannot require you to buy that list, or any part of it, from the school, a specific teacher, or a school-designated vendor. This is settled DepEd policy on two fronts. DepEd Order No. 65, s. 1990, "Prohibition of Sale of Textbooks, Workbooks, School Supplies, Magazines, Leaflets, Newspaper, and Other Materials to Students," directly bars schools and personnel from selling or requiring the purchase of these items, stating: "All concerned are hereby enjoined to immediately stop the above practices which violate existing laws, rules and regulations." Schools that continue the practice "shall be dealt with administratively."

Separately, DepEd's no collection policy (DO 19, s. 2008) bars public schools from collecting any fee, mandatory or voluntary, from students at enrollment, with pre-school through Grade 4 exempt from fee collection all year. See our full breakdown of what is and isn't allowed in the no collection policy guide.

Disclaimer: this is a summary of standing DepEd policy, not legal advice. If a school insists you buy supplies from them specifically, or ties supplies to enrollment, grading, or clearance, that is a reportable violation; confirm current guidance with your Schools Division Office.

Where Are School Supplies Cheapest?

Prices for identical items commonly differ by more than double between a mall bookstore and a bazaar or wholesale district, which is exactly why DTI publishes a price guide instead of a single fixed price. Practical ways to cut the total:

• Compare at least two retailers against DTI's suggested range before a bulk purchase; the guide exists specifically so consumers can spot overpriced items.
• Buy in bulk with other parents. Barangay or PTA-organized bulk buys for notebooks and paper routinely beat individual retail prices.
• Shop wholesale districts (Divisoria in Manila, similar wholesale strips in other cities) for basic items like notebooks, paper, and pencils, saving the mall bookstore trip for specialty items like calculators.
• Watch for seasonal sales. National Book Store and SM run back-to-school promotions in the weeks before classes open; prices on basics can drop noticeably during these windows.
• Reuse before replacing. Unused pages from a partially-filled notebook, working calculators from an older sibling, and gently-used folders don't need to be replaced just because a new school year started.

Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.

Sources

• DTI — LIST: DTI releases school supplies price guide for SY 2026-2027 (GMA News Online)
• DepEd Order No. 65, s. 1990 — Prohibition of Sale of Textbooks, Workbooks, School Supplies, Magazines, Leaflets, Newspaper, and Other Materials to Students (official)
• DepEd Order No. 19, s. 2008 — Implementation of No Collection Policy in All Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (official)
• Sun.Star Cebu — Prices of school supplies rise 20-30% as class opening looms
• National Book Store — Back to School 2026 Collection
• SchoolFinderPH — No Collection Policy: What Public Schools Can and Cannot Charge
• SchoolFinderPH — Back-to-School Budget: What a School Year Really Costs