North Carolina teachers spend more than peers in 48 states on classroom supplies, study shows

Rebecca Noel, The Charlotte Observer on Aug 29, 2025

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North Carolina educators will spend an average of $1,632 out-of-pocket on school supplies this year, according to a new study. It’s a 22% increase over 2024.

NC comes in at the second most expensive for educators when it comes to school supplies according to this year’s study from CouponBirds, an online consumer trends and coupons platform. North Carolina placed just $5 behind the most expensive, Pennsylvania.

Beth Cupp knows the struggles teachers face. She’s the director of philanthropy for Classroom Central, a Charlotte-based organization that provides free classroom supplies to teachers across six local school districts. Educators at schools with 50% or more students who receive free or reduced lunch are eligible to get supplies from the organization.

“When a teacher goes into the classroom for the first time, they walk into an empty classroom,” Cupp told The Charlotte Observer. “For all the materials they need to create an atmosphere that’s conducive to student learning, they have to pay out-of-pocket.”

Cupp said the costs are often even higher for educators at schools with a large number of low-income students.

“There are more students living in poverty, and teachers are spending more,” she said. “As students come to school without what they need, that burden falls back on the teacher.”

Cupp said the most in-demand items are often consumable supplies needed across schools and grade levels — pencils, paper, notebooks or markers. Students also often need supplies they don’t necessarily get at home, including hygiene items.

“We had one teacher come to us and say she wanted toothbrushes for her class because she had a student who came from a home where five people shared one toothbrush,” Cupp said. “So, she set up a toothbrushing station in her classroom where each student could brush their teeth when they arrive in the morning and when they leave in the afternoon, so there’s no stigma attached to it.”

How much are NC teachers spending?

Nationally, teachers are spending an average of $1,021 out-of-pocket on classroom supplies in 2025, up 12% from last year’s average of $915. For about 30% of educators nationwide, that meant taking on an extra job or finding a second source of income to foot the bill.

“This report shows how despite not being paid a respectable wage that they deserve, (NC educators) are still willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their students are successful,” Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said in a news release. “No one should have to take on a second job to make ends meet and our teacher shouldn’t have to do the same to make sure their classrooms have what they need.”

The increase in classroom expenses comes at the same time that pay has stagnated for NC educators, at least for now. The NC General Assembly has not yet passed a budget for this fiscal year, which began July 1.

North Carolina ranks 43rd in the country for average teacher pay, according to an April 2025 ranking from the National Education Association, based on data from the 2023-24 school year. It dropped five places from the 2024 ranking, trailing behind other states in the Southeast, including Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Where does NC budget stand?

The North Carolina General Assembly returned Tuesday for the first time since last month, as a budget stalemate between the House and Senate drags on. The two chambers have so far failed to reach an agreement on tax cuts and raises for state employees.

Without a new budget, the state continues to operate based on the one from the previous year until a new one is passed, meaning teachers and other state workers will not get raises until then. Meanwhile, the state adopted a new health plan that will raise premiums for state employees.

“It’s a real problem because teachers spend two paychecks a year on getting supplies for their students, and they tell us what it means to them to get free supplies through this organization,” Cupp said. “The number one school supply that makes a difference in a student’s trajectory is an effective teacher in the classroom. So, keeping teachers in the profession is so important.”