Parents are making more deliberate tradeoffs in how they allocate their back-to-school budgets amid widespread inflationary pressures, but seven in 10 still plan to protect sports participation, according to the Consumer Pulse Back-to-School 2026 survey released by KPMG LLP. Overall, families expect to spend $252 per child on back-to-school purchases this year, marking a 6 percent increase from 2025. Other findings from the survey:Core school supplies, apparel, and footwear together comprise 49 percent share of wallet for back-to-school spending. Consumers respond to rising fuel costs by reducing overall spending (42 percent) and cutting discretionary activities (37 percent). The KPMG Consumer Pulse Back-to-School 2026 Survey is based on a survey of 2,297 consumers across the U.S. surveyed from May 29 to June 18.