With the United States having one of the best education systems in the world ( yes, really ), one might assume that American teachers get everything they need to do their jobs well. But that's simply not the case.
While teacher pay varies a lot by state, teaching is a famously underpaid profession when you calculate everything that goes into it. But on top of that, most teachers end up spending their own hard-earned money on their classrooms to make sure their students get a quality educational experience.
How much are teachers spending on classroom supplies and what are they buying? Here's how it breaks down.
A CouponBird survey of 2,500 teachers across the U.S. found that 93% of respondents spend their own money on their classrooms with average yearly spend of $915. (The teachers were split between the age groups they teach: 41% elementary school, 23% middle school and 36% high school.)
Where to teachers spend the most and the least? The highest spending states were Texas ($1,396), Pennsylvania ($1,387) and Arizona ($1,375) and the lowest spending states were Idaho ($490), Louisiana ($456) and Oklahoma ($447).
What's extra interesting is what these teachers say they spend their money on. Here's how those numbers broke down:
- Consumable School Supplies: 97%
- Classroom Decor: 76%
- Educational Aids (Books, Games, etc.): 67%
- Snacks: 44%
- Cleaning Supplies: 36%
- First Aid Supplies: 31%
If teachers want to spend their own money on extras, that's one thing, but none of those categories seem "extra," do they? School supplies shouldn't have to be purchased and paid for by individual teachers, but even cleaning supplies? Yikes.
Elementary school teacher Natalie Ringold asked her fellow teachers to share how much money they spend on their classrooms on average each year, and the responses were telling.
"Let’s just say I work another job in the weekends to pay for what I need for my students. The smiles on their faces and the full bellies in the classroom make it all worth it."
"😂😂 I dont keep track bc I don’t wanna know."
"😝🤣 We do not speak of that number."
"I'm mortified to say... but probably around $1500. Not defending myself, but still in the new teacher era... trying to set up my classroom so it's functional and comfortable lol."
"First year teacher… definitely past the 3k mark."
"$2000 as a 3rd grade teacher after it’s all said and done."
"Over $1,000 per year as an elementary music teacher."
"From the summer to the end of the year probably around $1,500 as a 1st grade teacher."
"This will be my first year teaching ! I’ve spent almost $1000 already on furniture/rug , classroom supplies etc. and I still need more ! But..hopefully it will be less next year as it will just need to be maintained. 🙌🏼"
"Probably around $500 these days. This is year 20 for me."
Some people might argue that there are other jobs where workers are expected to pay for some things out of their own pockets, but this is public education we're talking about. Something every society needs to function and advance. Something we've deemed important enough for the government to provide (though some disagree). It hardly seems logical that teachers should pay for any of their classroom supplies out of their own pocket.
To add insult to injury, teacher's aren't even able to write most of their out-of-pocket expenditures off on their taxes. In 2022, the IRS raised the limit of what teachers could deduct from $250 to $300 . Seriously? We have teachers spending upwards of $1,000 a year of their own money on supplies for their job and they can't even write them all off?
To help bridge the gap, some teachers are making use of crowdfunding platforms to help spread out the burden a bit, offering people who value education and have the means to pitch in a chance to donate to their classrooms. If that's you, check out DonorsChoose and filter by location to find a teacher or classroom near you. Lots of people each giving a little goes a long way, so let's do what we can to help teachers get what they need for their students.
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