The amount of parents who say back-to-school costs are a financial burden has risen to almost 80 per cent as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit homes across the country.
The Irish League of Credit Unions has published the results of its annual School Costs survey, tracking the costs and impacts of children returning to school.
The survey found parents are spending €1,152 per primary school child and €1,288 per secondary school child.
Extracurricular activities came out as the top expense for primary school students costing €191, while school books were the largest expense for older students, totalling €187 on average.
More than one in four respondents said they get into debt covering back-to-school costs, with 70 per cent stating schools do not do enough to keep the costs down.
Almost two thirds of parents said they are forced to deny their children extracurricular activities because they cannot afford them, with 37 per cent forced to deny their children new shoes.
"Our 2023 survey shows that parents continue to feel a considerable financial burden educating their children," ILCU chief executive David Malone said.
"While we have seen a slight reduction in the amount being spent per child on back-to-school costs compared to 2022, general cost of living increases are impacting on households. So, while the reduction in back-to-school costs are welcome, it is partly due to parents cutting back on extracurricular activities, and we still have parents getting into debt to cover back-to-school costs."
Mr Malone added that he was hopeful that the introduction of the free primary school book scheme will reduce the need for parents to get into debt in future years.
However, despite schools being responsible for informing parents of the new book scheme, nearly half of parents surveyed said they did not know about it.
The measure was announced by Minister for Education Norma Foley earlier this year, supplying schoolbooks, including workbooks and copybooks, for children attending recognised primary schools and special schools.
Of the parents surveyed, 92 per cent said they believe the scheme will reduce their back-to-school costs, and more than nine out of 10 said they hoped to see the scheme extended to secondary schools.
Of the parents with school going children, 88 per cent also said they have been affected by general cost-of-living increases.
Many parents said they are using savings to cover extra costs, while 13 per cent are seeking loans and almost one in five said they are trying to earn additional income.
