Back to school – The most expensive return on record

Although the kids might not be looking forward to going back to school in a matter of weeks, parents across the country may also be facing the time with some trepidation, as this year will be the most expensive back to school in history.

This is according to data compiled by Banqmi, who state “we are about to start the most expensive school year on record.” With an average cost of 410.71 euro, which is added to the already high general inflation, going back to school rises five euro per child compared to last year, when there was already talk of going back to school being more expensive”.

Although the increase compared to the price of going back to school last year is small, “it comes just one year after the great rise that we saw in the return to school of the 2022-2023 academic year, when the average cost per student rose almost 20 euro from one year to the next: from 386.76 euro in 2021 to 406.07 euro in 2022”, explains Banqmi financial expert Antonio Gallardo. That is why this “small new increase” is, however, “one more setback for families.”

The average price of going back to school varies depending on the autonomous community. Just like last year, families in the Valencian Community, Catalonia and Navarra will continue to find it more expensive to go back to school. The communities in which it will be cheaper are Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha, followed by the Canary Islands, which drops one place and registers a lower price than Castilla y León, third from last year.

• Valencian Community: 465.55 euro
• Catalonia: 447.86 euro
• Navarre: 447.36 euro
• Basque Country: 422.79 euro
• Murcia: 421.68 euro
• Andalusia: 420.77 euro
• Madrid: 415.64 euro
• Balearic Islands: 406.80 euro
• Cantabria: 399.74 euro
• La Rioja: 399.06 euro
• Aragon: 398.75 euro
• Galicia: 392.86 euro
• Castilla y León: 392.14 euro
• Asturias: 390.53 euro
• Canary Islands: 389.83 euro
• Castilla-La Mancha: 387.34 euro
• Extremadura: 383.38 euro

According to Gallardo, what is most surprising about the increase in the price of going back to school is that it was expected that, after last year’s rise, “the average budget would be consolidated or that there would even be a drop.” The rise last year, he points out, was explained by the implementation of the new educational law (LOMLOE)”, which mainly affected odd-numbered courses. However, although this 2023-2024 the LOMLOE will also be implemented in even-numbered courses (and in Andalusia, which last year requested an exception, it will be implemented in odd and even), “the great rise last year should bring everything together,” adds Antonio Gallardo.

It is also surprising, he continues, by the introduction of teaching without books in some courses. “This year we are going to begin to see, although not very marked, an important duality, that is, teaching without books, and those who continue with the traditional method”, as Gallardo indicates. While there is an increase in ‘non-use’ in the early stages (infantile) and in ESO, the prices of textbooks continue to rise. Books for Early Childhood Education are the ones that have experienced the largest price increase, together with those for Primary Education, of 1.55% in both cases.

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