{"id":13910,"date":"2023-09-25T23:55:52","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T21:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webecpol.esade.edu\/?post_type=publicaciones&p=13910"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:26:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:26:00","slug":"a-snapshot-of-household-spending-on-school-supplies-and-the-grants-that-help-offset-it","status":"publish","type":"publicaciones","link":"http:\/\/webecpol.esade.edu\/en\/publications\/a-snapshot-of-household-spending-on-school-supplies-and-the-grants-that-help-offset-it\/","title":{"rendered":"A snapshot of household spending on school supplies and the grants that help offset it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Key ideas<\/h3>\n

\u2192<\/span> At EsadeEcPol we have carried out a new analysis of household school spending that is more comprehensive and rigorous than existing ones.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Average spending per pupil on school supplies is \u20ac328 in Primary, \u20ac398 in Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) and \u20ac474 in Bachillerato (upper secondary).<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Textbooks and IT equipment are the main drivers of spending and of its increase by stage: from 50% of the total in Primary to 70% in Bachillerato.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Among the 20% of households with the lowest economic capacity, 1 in every \u20ac25 goes on school supplies.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Average spending on books falls by \u20ac24.4 when the pupil receives a grant, but this reduction is larger for middle-income (almost \u20ac40) and lower-middle-income families (\u20ac25), and close to \u20ac0 for those with the fewest resources.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Only 4 in 10 households among the 20% with the fewest resources receive any grant.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> The differences in grant coverage by region and educational stage are very considerable, resulting in a system that is not progressive enough.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> Average spending per pupil in the public network is \u20ac282, compared with \u20ac434 in the state-subsidised\/private network.<\/p>\n

\u2192<\/span> To improve the system and make it more accessible and effective in helping the families that need the most support, we propose universal school supply lending schemes, and an effective nationwide minimum threshold for grant coverage and amounts through a benefit for low-income households.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Household spending on school supplies is a recurring topic every September. However, most existing studies use either biased samples or highly unrealistic assumptions. At EsadeEcPol we have estimated household spending on these goods (textbooks, IT equipment, uniforms, stationery and others) rigorously and in much greater depth, by merging the Household Education Spending Survey (EGEH) and the Household Budget Survey (EPF), both from the National Statistics Institute (INE).<\/p>\n

As is normal in an economy with inflation, every new back-to-school season is the \u201cmost expensive in history\u201d. But that does not mean that the weight of spending on supplies in total household spending is at record highs. In fact, we find that, since the summer of 2020, the general CPI has grown well above most of the products that make up school supplies, so the weight of these materials in the total household budget has decreased.<\/p>\n

Average spending per pupil on school supplies varies enormously by educational stage, from \u20ac100 per pupil in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education to \u20ac328 in Primary, \u20ac398 in ESO, and peaking at \u20ac474 in Bachillerato.<\/p>\n

The factor that contributes most to the increase in spending per pupil across educational stages is textbooks and IT products, which account for more than half of spending from Primary onwards and up to 70% in Bachillerato.<\/p>\n

The differences between regions and school networks are smaller than the differences by educational level:<\/p>\n