Discover the simplest back to school packing list for high school students. Become a minimalist high school student by packing only things that you absolutely need.

Ever since I can remember, back to school has always been one of those times when you’re both excited and depressed as a student. For students who come from families who can afford it, back-to-school shopping is quite fun — I mean new outfits and colorful school supplies that promise an increased level of productivity is pretty exciting. On the other hand, some of us are just not made for institutional living and school is an institution. Not to mention the pinch you’ll be feeling if your family is not that well off.

Back to school has been made into something more complicated than it should be. Sure, education is an important aspect that is worthy of celebration. I can understand why back to school is such a big deal, but no you absolutely don’t need a flashy new outfit or new school supplies. If the older ones from middle school work just fine, there’s really no reason to change it. And also no, you don’t need to pack the whole house  — especially not on the first day of school. Below you will find one of the tiniest, shortest, and simplest packing list you will find online. Sometimes usefulness comes in a small package.

Tiny Back to School Essentials Packing List

  • Your school bag
  • Some cash
  • Your ID
  • A few notepads
  • 1 or 2 pencils or pens – whichever you prefer
  • 1 eraser – not need if using pen
  • 1 sharpener – not need if using pen
  • 1 calculator – only if necessary
  • 1 water bottle – or drink from water fountain

And that’s it! Everything else is probably just good-to-have.

In the introduction of this article, I mentioned that we, as a society, is over-complicating back to school. Guess what, we (Metropolitan Girls) are part of that too. Certainly, some of the back to school supplies that we shared with you are super cute, and that you should really get them, but those aren’t necessities.

I’ll provide another example. Say your old school backpack is getting dirty after using it for a year or so, there’s no need to replace it with a flashy new school backpack, you can either wash it yourself or send it to a professional.

Happy Back to School.