The BEST Dollar Tree School Supplies Worth Buying (And What to Avoid!)

Check out the Best Dollar Tree School Supplies you should buy for back to school this year! Everything is always just $1 each (or less) at Dollar Tree, so you can really pinch pennies there!

Dollar Tree School Supplies – What is Worth Buying There? 

Folks, you know I love the Dollar Tree. I love it for crafting.  And sometimes for decorating.  And even for organizing.

But, I just don't love the Dollar Tree for (many) school supplies. And here's why.

Staples, Office Depot/OfficeMax, Walmart, Target, and even Amazon offer deeply discounted school supplies this time of year, and they sell high quality items at a crazy low cost.

While Dollar Tree has reasonable prices on some back to school supplies year round, their quality just isn't good enough to compete with those stores during the back-to-school shopping season.

HOWEVER, there are a few items that I think are worth swinging by the Dollar Tree for this year. Here's the list we came up with of what to buy (and what not to buy.) See what you think!

Back to School Items You Should Buy at the Dollar Tree

1. MANUSCRIPT TABLETS & CONSTRUCTION PAPER

These writing tablets are often hard to find and rarely available at that price. If you have young children learning to write and this is on their school supply list, it's a great way to save!

Also, it's rare to find construction paper deeply discounted during the back to school sales at other stores, so it's worth picking up construction paper when you're there.

2. PROJECT DISPLAY BOARDS

These project boards usually cost a few dollars each at other office supply stores. For just $1 each, this is a great price you really can't beat!

3. POSTER BOARD – 2 FOR $1

I *love* the savings you can get on white and color poster boards at Dollar Tree. You won't find this price anywhere else, so this is an easy way to save.

4. LOCKER SUPPLIES

Dollar Tree actually has a lot of cute items to decorate kids lockers with – magnetic dry erase boards, shelves, trays, stickers, and more! You won't feel bad letting the kiddos deck out their lockers at Dollar Tree!

5. 1.5″ BINDERS

My store has awesome quality 1″ and 1.5″ binders for just $1 each! The price on these binders at Walmart and Target is $1.47 – $3.49, so you really can't beat the price!

6. FILLER PAPER 200ct

Considering that 150ct filler paper is $0.82 at Walmart or $0.99 at Target, paying $1 for a 200ct pack is a pretty nice deal if you're heading to Dollar Tree anyway!

7. INDEX CARDS 200CT

Don't grab the 100ct cards (pictured above) as you can usually get 100ct packs of index cards for around $0.50 or maybe less at Walmart and Target. Instead get the 3×5 Index Cards 200ct packs for just $1, which seems pretty good to me for twice as many!

And here are 7 items I wouldn't buy at the Dollar Tree (compared to Walmart & Target pricing . . . )

1. Pencils 16ct

• Compared to $.97 for 20 pencils at Walmart or $1.24 at Target, I would steer clear of these (and I've heard they break easily!). Plus, pencils often go on sale for 1¢ at Office Depot with $5 purchase.

2. Crayons 64ct (not Crayola)

• Crayola 24ct crayons often go on sale for 25¢ during Back to School season. Grab 3 packs for $0.75 and you'll be getting more AND better crayons for less.

3. Pens 10ct

• Compared to 12ct Bic Pens for $0.97 at Walmart, I would buy these pens elsewhere. Plus, the 12ct packs  usually go on sale for just $0.50 at Staples and Office Depot/OfficeMax.

4. Colored pencils 10ct (not Crayola)

• Compared to $.97 – $1.29 for Crayola 12ct colored pencils at Walmart and Target, I would rather purchase name-brand for less.

5. Glue Sticks 4ct or Jumbo 2ct (not Elmer's)

• You can usually stock up on the (better) Elmer's glue sticks for just $0.25 per stick at Staples, Target, Walmart, etc. These glue sticks usually do not dry up nearly as fast as the off-brand sticks and are usually preferred by teachers.

6. Composition Notebooks

• Composition notebooks are almost always on sale for $0.50 or less at Walmart and Target, so don't pay twice as much!

7. 120-page 3-Subject Spiral Notebooks

• You can almost always find 70-page spiral notebooks for just $0.25 each at Walmart and Target, so grab a few of them and you'll pay less than one notebook at Dollar Tree.

What would you add to the list to buy or not to buy at the Dollar Tree? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and check out my list of 25 items you should never pay more than $1 for thanks to the Dollar Tree!

See all the best back to school deals right here!