Surveyed parents approach the season with both intent and restraint, as more than half of respondents expect the economy to worsen this year

NEW YORK, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —

Key takeaways

Back-to-school spending for K-12 students will likely remain steady, estimated to reach a collective $30.4 billion, or approximately $557 per student, based on those surveyed. Adjusted for inflation, families plan to spend 6% less year-over-year.Economic uncertainty is high, as 57% of those surveyed expect the economy to worsen in the next six months — the highest level reported in the survey since 2020.Value makes the grade: 31% of K-12 parents qualify as hyper value-seekers, adopting four or more cost-saving behaviors. These consumers plan to spend 14% more than other shoppers, suggesting that shopping is less about buying the cheapest item and more about buying intentionally.Back-to-school shoppers plan to shift their spending from technology (-16%) to clothing and accessories (+22%).Families are pushing back-to-school purchases closer to the start of school, with planned spending expected to peak in late July and early August, a return to pre-pandemic trends.Half of parents surveyed worry that their child relies on AI too much in and outside the classroom, while only 33% say their school has AI guidelines. Signaling a potential opportunity for ed-tech and retailers, 13% of parents plan to pay for AI tutoring or camps.

Why this matters 
Back-to-school shoppers remain strategic about spending as economic uncertainty remains top of mind. According to the “2026 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey,” K-12 parents plan to engage in value-seeking behaviors and push their spending closer to the start of school. Meanwhile, inflation appears to be impacting spending power, and parents are finding ways to navigate it.

Smart spending shapes back-to-school shopping 
Consumers continue to approach back-to-school spending with caution. Based on survey respondents’ intentions, back-to-school spending is expected to remain flat at $30.4 billion this year. Parents plan to spend $557 per student in grades K-12, down just $13 year over year. However, when adjusted for inflation families plan to spend 6% less year-over-year.

More than half of surveyed consumers are concerned about the economy: 57% of respondents expect the economy to worsen in the next six months, the highest level reported in the survey since 2020, and 24% of respondents are concerned about making upcoming payments.While lower-income (+10% YoY) and middle-income (+12% YoY) parents expect to spend more due to higher prices, upper-middle-income parents (-9% YoY) and higher-income parents (-20% YoY) say they’ll reduce their spending given financial concerns. Reasons vary:Eighty percent of lower-income families (those making $50K per year or less) and 71% of middle-income families (those making $50K to 99K annually) cited higher prices as the reason they’ll spend more. Sixty-seven percent of upper-middle-income families (those making $100-199K) plan to spend less because they are worried about the economy.Sixty-three percent of higher-income families (those making $200K or more) report having less money to spend.Spending intent shifts from tech to clothing: Those surveyed plan to spend 22% more on clothing and accessories, an average of $323 per child, but it is also the top category people would cut if budgets get too tight. Spending on technology is expected to decline 16% to an average of $417 per child as parents defer personal device upgrades for their children.To make room in their budgets for back-to-school items, half of those surveyed (50%) plan to cut back on other expenses, such as dining out and entertainment.Children’s preferences shape spending decisions, although slightly less often than last year: 59% of parents surveyed say their children often entice them to spend more, compared to 62% who said the same in 2025. In addition, 45% say their child has a specific must-have item for back-to-school, and 57% say their child influences them to splurge on that item.

Key quote            
“While many parents are willing to do all they can to help set their children up for success, financial concerns are leading them to sharpen their budgets. Cautious spending behavior exists across income groups, but value-seekers demonstrate that it’s not always about the cost — some consumers are willing to spend if they find value in the purchase. At the same time, there’s often a sense of nostalgia about back-to-school that can impact how and when parents spend. Retailers who lean into these dynamics may be more likely to see success throughout the season.”

Natalie Martini, vice chair and U.S. Retail and Consumer Products sector leader, Deloitte

Value-seekers go to the front of the class
As consumers aim to get more out of every dollar, they look to be employing several strategies to help get their children ready for the school year. This includes delaying purchases to later in the season and engaging in value-seeking behaviors. In addition, 68% of those surveyed said they plan to shop for back-to-school items during summer promotional events.

Families are pushing back-to-school purchases closer to the start of school: 48% of planned spending is expected to occur by the end of July, down from 61% in 2025. An additional 31% of planned back-to-school spending is expected to take place in early August, with average spend that month rising to $173 per child, up from $137 in 2025.About one-third (31%) of K-12 parents qualify as hyper value-seekers, meaning they adopt four or more cost-saving behaviors. However, despite their deal-seeking mindset, these consumers are expected to spend 14% more than other shoppers, underscoring that value-seeking can be more about being selective than cutting back.K-12 parents surveyed showcase value-seeking behavior in a variety of ways:Seventy-one percent say they will switch brands if the preferred brand is too expensiveSixty percent plan to shop at more affordable retailersFifty-one percent expect to shop for private labels instead of name brandsOne-quarter (25%) plan to use cashback websitesPlanned spending is consistently higher among parents across all income groups who use a broader set of digital tools in their shopping journey. While non-tech users (20%) plan to spend $381 on average, those planning to use search (30%) plan to spend $494 on average.Respondents who use additional tech tools plan to spend more: Search and social media users (21%) plan to spend an average of $531; those who use search, social media, and GenAI (29%) are expected to have the highest spend at $737.Most back-to-school purchases are expected to take place in-store rather than online, but online shoppers plan to spend more — an average of $614 compared to $521 for mostly in-store shoppers.Mass merchant retailers continue to be the top destination for back-to-school purchases, with 80% of parents planning to shop there. Online retailers, warehouse membership clubs, and department stores are other top destinations.Parents plan to shop at four retail formats on average, one less than last year. According to survey respondents, the main reason for spending the most at a retailer remains value for the money.

Key quote
“We see parents approach back-to-school shopping with intent. They tend to be more thoughtful about their spending and value-seeking strategies to help maximize their wallets. Additionally, those who actively use multiple digital tools to research products tend to be more engaged shoppers overall. GenAI users, for example, may spend more time comparing products and filling their carts with more purchases, which can create a further benefit for retailers to lean into the technology.”

Brian McCarthy, principal, Retail Strategy leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP

AI use raises questions about learning and preparedness
Parental concerns are emerging around their children’s use of AI, particularly regarding reliance and readiness. Many survey respondents also express uncertainty about school guidance.

Half (49%) of parents surveyed worry that their child relies on AI too much in and out of the classroom, while only 33% say their school has AI guidelines.Signaling gaps in both communication and policy, 38% of those surveyed do not know if their child’s school has AI guidelines.Signaling a potential opportunity for ed-tech and retailers, 13% of parents plan to pay for AI tutoring or camps.

Deloitte’s “Back-to-School” survey was conducted online using an independent research panel between May 22 and May 29, 2026, and surveyed 1,207 parents with at least one child attending school in grades K-12 this fall.

Connect with us on LinkedIn @NatalieMartini and @BrianCMcCarthy.

About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 9,000 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters for our people, clients, and communities. We bring together distinct talents, technologies, disciplines, and an ecosystem of alliances to help tackle today’s most complex business challenges and drive long-term progress. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Bringing more than 180 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 470,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the “Deloitte” name in the United States, and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-back-to-school-spending-holds-steady-during-economic-uncertainty-302821468.html

SOURCE Deloitte

Foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, corporate funders, schools, municipalities, tribal governments, and other organizations can now verify, claim, and manage their Official GrantWatch Profiles while earning Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Visibility Tier™ badges.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GrantWatch today announced the launch of GrantWatch Profiles, a new public organization profile platform that allows organizations across the funding ecosystem to verify, claim, and manage their Official GrantWatch Profile.

Organizations can verify and claim an Official GrantWatch Profile at no cost. In most cases, ownership can be verified using an official organization email address and other qualifying information. Once verified, organizations can manage their public profile, combining organization-managed information with selected publicly available records. 

Advanced research, GrantWatch Intelligence™, Foundation Directory, verified IRS 990 research, and additional grant management tools remain available through eligible MemberPlus+ subscriptions.

The launch expands GrantWatch from a grant discovery platform into a more comprehensive Grant Lifecycle Platform, helping organizations manage visibility, research, grant prospecting, track grants and funding opportunities, proposal development, collaboration, post-award activities, and a more polished workflow for managing nonprofit grant portfolios.

Official Public GrantWatch Profiles

GrantWatch Profiles provide organizations with an official public presence within the GrantWatch Grant Lifecycle Platform. 

“Organizations have always worked hard to tell their stories. GrantWatch Profiles give them a way to manage how that story is presented throughout the GrantWatch ecosystem while helping grant seekers and funders access more complete, accurate information.”

— Libby Hikind, Founder & CEO, GrantWatch

Authorized representatives can claim and manage organization information including their logo, mission, organization overview, website, geographic focus, programs and services, communities served, leadership, current projects, funding needs, organization goals, grants received, major funders, success stories, strategic priorities, partnerships, annual reports, outcomes and impact, downloadable documents, and additional organization-managed information.

Each public profile combines organization-managed information with selected publicly available organizational records, giving grant seekers, funders, donors, volunteers, researchers, and community partners a more complete picture of an organization’s work.

More complete profiles earn higher Visibility Tier™ badges while premium research tools remain available through eligible MemberPlus+ subscriptions.

Foundations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, municipalities, tribal governments, healthcare organizations, libraries, museums, faith-based organizations, businesses, and other grant makers and grant recipients can now take an active role in how they are represented on GrantWatch by claiming their profile, sharing more about their mission, programs, funding priorities, impact, and services, and increasing their visibility across the GrantWatch funding ecosystem.

GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™ are a natural evolution of the GrantWatch ecosystem, giving organizations a new way to participate in the platform by claiming and enriching their profiles. Richer organizational profiles help grant seekers, funders, donors, volunteers, researchers, and potential partners make more informed decisions while strengthening connections throughout the funding community.

Organizations that verify and claim their profiles earn Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Visibility Tier™ badges, recognizing the depth of information available on their GrantWatch profile.

Complete profiles help grant seekers better understand funding priorities, eligibility requirements, geographic focus, organizational programs, and available resources before investing valuable time in an application. Richer profiles also help foundations, government agencies, corporate giving programs, and other funders discover organizations whose missions and programs align with their funding priorities.

As organizations face growing competition for funding and increasing expectations for visibility and accountability, maintaining a complete, accurate, and verifiable public profile has become an important part of fundraising, partnership development, organizational credibility, and stakeholder engagement.

“Every organization deserves an official public presence within the funding ecosystem,” said Libby Hikind, Founder and CEO of GrantWatch. “For years, organizations have had limited control over how they appear across funding databases and online directories. GrantWatch Profiles give organizations ownership of their public story while helping funders and grant seekers access accurate, current information. Visibility Tiers™ encourage organizations to build richer profiles that increase visibility, strengthen credibility, and help create more meaningful connections across the funding ecosystem.”

Verify & Claim Your Official GrantWatch Profile for Free

Organizations can verify and claim an Official GrantWatch Profile at no cost. In most cases, ownership can be confirmed using an official organization email address and other qualifying information. Once verified, organizations can manage their public profile. 

As profiles become more complete, organizations earn higher GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™.

Display Your Visibility Tier™ Badge

Every badge links directly to the organization’s official GrantWatch Profile, allowing visitors to verify its authenticity and view the organization’s latest public information.

GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™

Grant seekers, foundations, government agencies, researchers, donors, volunteers, and community partners can all benefit from more complete public organization profiles.

Bronze Visibility Tier™

Organizations earn the Bronze Visibility Tier™ by claiming and verifying their profile while adding essential organization information, including their logo, mission, website, organization overview, geographic focus, programs and services, communities served, and, where applicable, an IRS Form 990 or Form 990-PF.

Silver Visibility Tier™

Silver recognizes organizations that expand their profile with detailed programs, current projects, funding needs, organization goals, leadership information, and additional organization details.

Gold Visibility Tier™

Gold recognizes organizations that demonstrate impact by adding grants received, major funders, success stories, strategic priorities, partnerships, annual reports, and other information that helps visitors better understand the organization.

Platinum Visibility Tier™

Platinum recognizes organizations that complete their organization profile by providing outcomes and impact, organization achievements, public documents, and, for grant funders, additional information such as funding restrictions. For grant seekers, sustainability and dissemination practices, and internal checks and balances designed to help prevent fraud.

Launch Celebration

To celebrate the launch of GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™, organizations that verify and claim their profiles in 2026 will receive up to 1 million complimentary GrantWatch Intelligence™ tokens based on the visibility tier they achieve. The complimentary tokens may be used with GrantWatch Intelligence™ for conversational research across:

Human Verified Grants™Foundation DirectoryGrant Recipient SearchVerified IRS 990 data

GrantWatch Intelligence™ is GrantWatch’s conversational grant research platform. Powered by Human Verified Grants™, it enables organizations to identify highly targeted grant opportunities based on their profile, research funders and their giving history, analyze IRS Form 990 filings, discover grant recipients, and answer complex funding questions using natural language—all within the GrantWatch Grant Lifecycle Platform.

Part of the GrantWatch Grant Lifecycle Platform

GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™ are one part of the growing GrantWatch ecosystem.

Organizations and grant professionals with an eligible MemberPlus+ subscription also receive access to the GrantWatch Dashboard and the 12-Stage Grant Pipeline, integrating funder research, grant opportunities, and application management into a single workflow for highly targeted grant matching based on an organization’s profile, managing the grant pipeline, and supporting every stage of the grant lifecycle.

Together these integrated tools provide a sophisticated grant matching, funder insights, and prospecting workflow while helping organizations discover funding opportunities, research funders, collaborate with colleagues, track proposals, manage awards, and strengthen long-term funding relationships.

Discover funding opportunitiesResearch funders and grant recipientsOrganize grant prospectingCollaborate with colleagues and clientsTrack proposals and deadlinesManage awarded grantsComplete post-award reporting

As GrantWatch continues to evolve and expand its ecosystem, organizations will also be able to connect through even more, upcoming relationship management tools designed to help grant professionals organize, manage, and strengthen funding relationships throughout the grant lifecycle. Together, GrantWatch Visibility Tiers™, GrantWatch Intelligence™, the GrantWatch Dashboard, and the 12-Stage Grant Pipeline create a connected ecosystem that supports organizations from discovery and grant prospecting research, through relationship management, award management, and post-award reporting.

Why Organizations Claim Their Profiles

Every Visibility Tier™ badge links directly to the organization’s Official GrantWatch Profile, allowing visitors to verify the organization’s identity, current profile information, and earned Visibility Tier™.

Organizations claim their GrantWatch Profile to ensure that grant seekers, funders, researchers, donors, volunteers, and community partners see accurate, current, and organization-managed information. Claimed profiles also provide a central location where organizations can update their public presence as they grow and evolve. 

For grant seekers, maintaining a complete and up-to-date profile, helps GrantWatch Intelligence™ identify more highly targeted grant opportunities based on the organization’s official profile information.

About GrantWatch

GrantWatch is the leading Grant Lifecycle Platform helping nonprofits, foundations, educational institutions, government agencies, municipalities, tribal governments, businesses, and researchers discover funding opportunities, conduct highly targeted grant matching based on an organization’s profile, research funders and their giving history, manage grant portfolios, collaborate with their team and track grants throughout the grant lifecycle, and strengthen long-term funding relationships.

The GrantWatch ecosystem includes Human Verified Grants™, GrantWatch Intelligence™, GrantWatch Profiles, the GrantWatch Dashboard, the 12-Stage Grant Pipeline, Foundation Directory, Grant Recipient Search, and one of the largest proprietary collections of foundation profiles built from publicly available information, verified IRS Form 990 data, and now organization-verified profiles and additional research sources. Together, these tools provide sophisticated grant matching, funder insights, prospect research, application management, grant tracking, and post-award reporting to support every stage of the grant lifecycle.

Media Contact

Libby Hikind
Founder & CEO, GrantWatch
Media@GrantWatch.com

(561) 249-4129

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grantwatch-launches-public-organization-profiles-with-visibility-tiers-302821352.html

SOURCE GrantWatch

Nationally recognized energy executive brings deep experience across data center power, clean energy technology, utility strategy, and energy regulation

BOSTON, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Calibrant Energy today announced that Judith Judson has joined the company as Executive Vice President of Regulatory and Policy. Judson is a nationally recognized energy executive with a track record of scaling organizations and emerging technologies across the data center, utility, clean energy, and government sectors.

Judson most recently served as Senior Vice President of Energy for North America at Vantage Data Centers, where she led the company’s power strategy, from utility engagement and regulatory approvals to onsite generation and structured energy contracts, developing power in support of more than $40 billion in new data center investment.

“Judith is an exceptional addition to Calibrant Energy at a time when large energy users need faster, more practical pathways to power,” said Phil Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Calibrant Energy. “Her experience spans hyperscale data centers, distributed energy, utility strategy, emerging technologies, and energy regulation, giving her a rare understanding of both customer needs and grid realities. That perspective will be invaluable as we help customers bring projects online faster while supporting reliability, flexibility, and affordability.”

At Calibrant, Judson will work with federal, state, and local policymakers, regulators, and customers to advance market and regulatory frameworks that recognize the capacity and flexibility large energy users can provide through on-site distributed energy resources. Her work will help data center owners and other power-intensive customers deploy behind-the-meter battery storage, generation, and microgrid solutions that support faster access to power, load flexibility, greater resiliency, and improved grid reliability.

“Large energy users need access to power to come online faster to keep pace with growth,” said Judson. “Calibrant is built to solve exactly that problem: developing, owning, and operating onsite energy systems that customers can deploy on the timelines their businesses require. I’m excited to join the team at such an important moment for the energy market.”

Prior to joining Vantage, Judson served as CEO of Fortescue Zero, where she helped scale the company’s zero-emission power systems business. She also served as U.S. President of Fortescue Energy, leading the company’s green hydrogen market strategy and securing partnerships with major hyperscale and industrial customers.

Earlier, Judson held executive roles at National Grid, including Vice President and Head of U.S. Strategy, where she led corporate strategy for the company’s $25 billion U.S. utility business. She also drove distributed energy growth at Ameresco and led emerging technologies consulting at Customized Energy Solutions.

In the public sector, Judson served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, where she launched the state’s first Clean Peak Standard, developed the SMART solar incentive program, and oversaw major offshore wind and transmission procurements. She previously chaired the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Earlier in her career, she helped advance Beacon Power’s energy storage portfolio and advocated for FERC Order 755, which created pay-for-performance compensation for fast-responding grid resources.

Judson holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Mechanical Engineering with honors from Kettering University.

About Calibrant Energy

Calibrant Energy, a leading provider of on-site energy solutions for large power users, combines innovative financing solutions with deep industry expertise, empowering its clients to achieve their energy goals faster, more economically, and more sustainably. As the owner/operator of a diverse portfolio of distributed energy technologies – including battery energy storage, solar, and microgrid solutions – Calibrant offers a full suite of zero-capex options to help its clients reduce energy costs, while increasing both operational resiliency and sustainability. Calibrant is backed by Macquarie Asset Management, the world’s largest infrastructure fund manager with $580+ billion in global assets.

To learn more about Calibrant, please visit www.CalibrantEnergy.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calibrant-energy-names-judith-judson-executive-vice-president-302821220.html

SOURCE Calibrant Energy