The Best 8th Grade School Supply List

You probably want to send your 8th grader back to school with all the supplies and preparation they need to make it through the year. It can be tough to know what to get for them, though. There are so many different products, brands, and tools that deciding which ones are the best is a daunting task.

Well, worry no more! This post is here to give you a list of the 8th grade school supplies we think are the most important for your student. Whether you’re going on a run to the store or ordering online, we recommend picking up some of these must-have supplies for the school year.

Must-Have General 8th Grade School Supplies

1. Pencil this into your shopping list. Your 8th grader can’t survive the year without a pack or two of pencils and pens. For an easy option, we recommend Bic mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens. Make sure to add this to your back to school list!
2. Paper beats rock. Oxford’s lined loose-leaf paper is also a must-have supply for your student. It will keep their assignments looking nice and clean and stop them from having to rip sheets out of their notebooks. For your 8th grader’s math classes, loose-leaf graph paper is also a must-have.
3. Notebooks galore! Have some fun with this; there are so many options. Whether your student prefers simple, spiral notebooks or colorful composition books, Mead Five Star has them all. Get your student a variety of journals that they can coordinate with each subject they’re taking this year.
4. Don’t lose the option of organization. Binders, folders, and other tools are very helpful if you want to help your student stay organized and keep their classwork coordinated. Just like with the notebooks, Five Star is a very trustworthy brand to check out for all of these organizational supplies. Not only can they make homework and classwork feel like less of a hassle by keeping it neat and put-together but they can also help your 8th grader make sure they don’t lose any important papers or tests.
5. Wipe away all the mistakes. Stock your student with erasers for all those little mistakes or errors. Plus, if you get your student a PRISMACOLOR Kneaded Rubber Eraser, it can double as a fidget tool as well. It’s perfect for your student to play around with if they need a distraction for their hands, and it works well to get the eraser job done, too.
6. Calculators, protractors, and class-specific items. Don’t forget about those unique, lesson-common school supplies. Some classes require your 8th grader to get subject-specific things like Casio calculators, graph paper, and more. If you get them these supplies now, they can last for years to come, making you not have to repurchase these less-used items.
7. Sickness protection! When your kid is at school, they’re surrounded by other students. Keep them protected from getting any illness by equipping them with Kleenex tissue packs, mini , Band-Aids, Ricola cough drops, and other protective products.

The Best Bulk School Supply Bundles for 8th Grade

If you’re looking for a school supply bundle to cover it all, Amazon is a great place to go. They offer a variety of packages for all the subjects you’ll be taking. Here are a few of the best ones we found:

1. Simple and straightforward. If you’re looking for a cheap bundle of school supplies, look no further than the Back to High School & College 14 Item Bundle. This 14-item product gives you five different notebooks that you can coordinate for each class you take as well as a scientific calculator, pencils, erasers, a protractor, and highlighters. It’s a concise list of items but the perfect group of must-haves for your student’s 8th grade year.
2. Spoil your student. For a little more money, you can get your student a pack of 41 different school supplies, giving them all the variety they need. The Ultimate Back To School Supply Pack Bundle covers all the materials your student might need, saving you the hassle of making multiple runs to the store. It has five notebooks, numerous packs of paper, binders, and folders, scissors, pens, pencils, a stapler, and more. This bundle definitely covers the must-have supplies and will probably last for your student even after 8th grade is done.
3. Protect and prepare them. School is one of the most accessible places for germs and sickness to spread, so get your student some 8th grade supplies that will protect them throughout those seasons. The not only contains the traditional school supplies your student will need but also packs tissues and hand sanitizer. It’s a great kit for your 8th grader and will keep them protected and prepared for all that school brings.

The Best Backpacks for 8th Grade School Supplies

1. Prevent any damages to your student’s books! Not only is the Abshoo Classical Basic Travel Backpack fashionable, but it’s also water resistant, which is perfect for rainy days or unexpected spills. It’s a durable, roomy pack that will keep your student’s books and papers dry and organized. Since the product comes in a variety of colors, your student can have just the look they want to go back to school.
2. Transparent and transportable. For a unique and compact backpack, look no further than a . It is designed so that your student can see all their school supplies, making it easy to locate the items they need for each class. It comes with a pencil case and mesh pockets for water bottles and is made out of heavy-duty, long-lasting material. This backpack will make quick checks easy and will stand out among other backpack styles.
3. A classic look for them and a cheap cost for you. The Hynes Eagle backpack is large and lightweight, which will allow your 8th grader to carry around all of their school supplies with ease. It’s perfect for traveling to-and-from school and walking between classes, and with its clean canvas design, your student will feed put-together and ready to take on the day.

The Best Binders for 8th Grade Binder Organization

1. Go big or go home. 8th graders need a lot of storage for all their different classes. Check out a Case-it King Sized Zipper Binder is perfect for helping your student keep all of their homework in one small place. It’s got plenty of room inside for all their classwork, tests, small school supplies, and more. Plus, it zips up and seals the items inside, protecting them from any possible damages that might happen while at school! Getting the and Avery Plastic Binder Dividers to go with this binder is the ultimate combo. Note: for a slightly cheaper option, look at the DocIt 8 Pocket Folder
2. Add some color and variety! If you want to help your student stay organized and to add some color to their school supplies, the Back to School Pens, Pencils, Paper Supply Bundle Box is a great option. There are a bunch of folders, spiral notebooks, and composition books to choose from, each one with a different color. With these 8th grade school supplies, your student can coordinate the colors to their classes and organize their work more efficiently. If your student doesn’t use all the folders and notebooks from one bundle, save and use them the following year!
3. Just keep it simple. Binders don’t need to be the most stylish 8th grade school supply, so for a more straightforward option, check out Cardinal Economy 3-ring binders. They come in a lot of different sizes, the thicker ones (up to 2”) being most useful if your student will be taking a lot of different subjects this year. You can get colorful dividers to separate the work for each class or just stock the binder with lined notebook paper for all the free-writes and class assignment they’ll have to do.

The Best Writing Utensils for 8th Grade

1. Prepare them for every moment. Make sure to stock your 8th grader with all the pencils they’ll need. Paper Mate mechanical pencils are a great go-to school supply because they last longer, are easy to refill and come in all different sizes and styles. If your student plans on taking any mandatory state-wide or nation-wide tests, though, they may need some Ticonderoga #2 pencils. Plus, it never hurts to pick up a pack while on the hunt for school supplies. (Hint: just make sure to get them a small Bostitch pencil sharpener so that they don’t have any dull #2 pencils.)
2. Color-code notes with ease. Pens are versatile; your 8th grader can use them for doodling, note taking, editing, and so much more. So, get them a pack of Bic Xtra Bold Ballpoint Pens that they can enjoy using (or just a box of Bic black pens if that’s what your student prefers).
3. Expo, highlighters, and markers — oh my! Expo markers, Sharpie highlighters, and Crayola markers are also some note-taking necessities, perfect for adding a splash of color to a page, practicing some complicated problems on a whiteboard, and participating in all sorts of in-class activities. The Sharpie, Paper Mate, Expo - Writing Essentials Kit is an excellent example of the best writing tools to get your 8th grader to help them survive the school year. If you need help with cursive writing, you may also find our article on the best cursive writing books helpful.

The Best Study Tools for 8th Grade School Supplies

1. Study in a flash! You can never go wrong with a pack or two of Oxford index cards. These are a great school supply for studying. Your 8th grader can easily prepare them by writing a key term on one side and the definition on the other. Then anytime they feel like studying, they’ve got a study tool prepped and ready to go.
2. Stick it to ‘em. Just like with the index card, Post-it sticky notes can be a great resource for your student as they go about studying for tests or other assignments. Post-its come in all different sizes and colors and can be used for speedy note-taking, setting reminders, or tabbing important pages in a textbook. The possibilities are endless!
3. Highlighters? A must! Whether your student is taking notes for homework or studying their already-completed notes, a Sharpie highlighter is an essential school supply. They can underline important terms in their textbooks or notes so that looking back on them is a breeze. If you get a pack of multi-colored Sharpie highlighters, they can even coordinate key terms, important themes, and whatever else they need to study!
4. Guide them to success. Studying for a test is so much easier when you have a study guide to assist. Have your student ask their teacher for a class study guide for each test, or if it would better suit them to prepare their own, get them some lined loose-leaf paper and a pencil. They’ll have total freedom to write down the points and lessons they think will be most relevant for the test, and writing it down by hand might even help them retain the information more.
5. Help is on the way (and the internet). Now, this isn’t exactly something you can buy, but it’s definitely something your 8th grader should be aware of as they start the year. Online sources like Quizlet.com or Study.com are great for preparing your own flashcards or borrowing study sets from other 8th grade students and teachers. All they need to do is create a free account, and then they can begin organizing and studying off of them.

We hope this list helps you narrow down the most important supplies for your 8th grader’s school year and that it will make the shopping experience easy for both you and your student. These supplies aren’t the only ones out there, but they’re the ones we recommend the most.

Ask your 8th grader what kinds of classes he or she will be taking this year, and see which supplies will be the most helpful for those. Organization and style are significant, too, so make sure to get supplies your student will actually be excited to use — plus, it can make school feel more exciting — and don’t be afraid to try some new brands or products in the process!

Want to look up what you need for other grades? Check out our other school supply lists:

• The Best 9th Grade School Supply List
• The Best 10th Grade School Supply List
• The Best 11th and 12th Grade School Supply List

This article was written by Cambria Pilger.