The best back-to-school sales 2025: deals on laptops, backpacks, and dorm essentials
All the best back-to-school deals in one place from Amazon, Dell , Best Buy, Apple and more

August is just around the corner, which means summer is sadly coming to an end and back-to-school sales are in full swing. Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Best Buy, and Dell are all running back-to-school sales with incredible deals on everything from laptops, tablets, and headphones to clothing, dorm essentials, and backpacks.
As TechRadar's deals editor, who's covered back-to-school sales for eight years, I've put together this guide to bring you all the top offers in one place. Below, I've listed all the best back-to-school sales, followed by the top deals, including iPads, air fryers, cheap TVs, and so much more.
A few standout offers include Apple's best-selling AirPods 4 on sale for only $99, the top-rated Dell Inspiron 15 laptop on sale for $299.99, and this Roku 32-inch 4K smart TV on sale for $139.99.
Shop more of today's best back-to-school sales below, and be sure to bookmark this guide, as I'll be continuously updating it with all the top offers leading up to Labor Day.
Today's best back to school sales 2025
- Amazon: 45% off supplies, tech & clothing
- Apple: $150 gift card with Mac & iPad purchase
- Backpacks: Adidas & Jansport from $9.99
- Best Buy: $500 off laptops, printers & monitors
- Chromebooks: deals starting at $169
- College: 50% off Kitchen gadgets, furniture & tech
- Dell: laptops & monitors starting at $249.99
- Nordstrom: 20% off Nike, Adidas & UGG
- Samsung: up to $800 off for students & educators
- School supplies: deals starting at $4.99
- Target: 30% off kids' clothing, uniforms & backpacks
- Walmart: supplies, backpacks, clothing & tech from $5
Back-to-school sales: today's 25 best deals
This convenient wall charger is a must-buy for all your gadgets, and it's on sale for just $9.99. The three-sided charger features five outlets, four USB charging ports, a fireproof shell, and surge protection.
Need a new keyboard for college? Walmart has an exclusive deal on this Logitech wireless keyboard, on sale for just $18.48. The white keyboard offers a wireless connection of up to 33 feet and features a durable, comfortable design.
The Apple AirTag is Amazon's top-selling tech gadget, and it's on sale for only $22.98, only a few bucks more than the record-low price. If you tend to misplace your keys or wallet or want to track your luggage, just attach the AirTag to anything you don't want to lose, and your iPhone will locate the item.
The best-selling Fire TV Stick 4K streams shows and movies on your TV in ultra-high-definition 4K resolution and is also on sale for just $24.99 when you apply the code 4KADDFTV at checkout. It's a solid streaming stick with access to all the major apps and support for voice controls through Alexa.
Apple's entry-level Pencil streamlines the features to offer a more affordable, yet still capable, iPad stylus. For $69, you get precise drawing and note-taking, low-latency, and tilt detection, although pressure detection is missing. As the name implies, this Pencil charges over USB-C.
Amazon's back-to-school sale features the top-rated Chefman air fryer for just $69.94 – a record-low price. The six-quart air fryer features Hi-Fry technology, which delivers extra-crispy food, and four one-touch cooking presets.
Want a good pair of super-cheap headphones? There isn't a better option than these Sony WH-CH520, which are down to a great low price in the Amazon Memorial Day sale. They offer high-quality sound for the cost and a comfortable fit for all-day use. Of course, they lack some premium features found in more expensive cans, but these are an excellent buy if you're on a tight budget.
If you want to get your hands on Apple's all-new AirPods 4, you can find them on sale for $99, which is only $10 more than the record-low price. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and feature Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging.
The top-rated Beats Solo 4 headphones are on sale for its lowest price yet. This model supports lossless audio playback via USB-C or a 3.5mm audio cable, as well as Spatial Audio, which utilizes head tracking to enhance your listening experience. These headphones also last up to 50 hours on a single charge and can regain five hours of playback time in just 10 minutes of charging.
You can get the latest Apple iPad A16 on sale for a great low price. The most significant upgrade compared to the previous generation model is the latest A16 chip for faster performance. You also get double the storage of 128GB as standard, a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display, and solid 12MP front and back cameras.
Apple iPad Air: from $599 $549, plus free AirPods at Apple
The Apple iPad Air is a great choice if you're headed out to college. It's a model that features a great balance between price and performance, with a beautiful premium lightweight design. Today's back-to-school sale at Apple knocks $50 off both the 11-inch and 13-inch model and also throws in a free pair of AirPods or another eligible accessory of your choice.
Apple iPad Pro: from $999 $899, plus free AirPods at Apple
The iPad Pro is overkill for basic tasks, but it's a fantastic high-end choice for design and creative work. With an incredibly powerful M4 chipset and stunning OLED display, it's easily the best Apple tablet money can buy right now. Today's sale at Apple offers a $100 upfront discount and free accessories, somewhat offsetting the high asking price for this one.
If you're a student looking for a 15-inch budget laptop, Walmart has HP's 15.6-inch laptop for just $219. For that money, you're getting an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD, and up to 10 hours of battery life.
The bright and clear HD display on the Asus Vivobook 16 makes work and play dazzling. Navigate school projects and presentations with precision and speed. It's not the most powerful laptop ever, but it'll handle day-to-day workloads with ease, and Walmart's back-to-school sale brings the price down to $529.99.
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5-7520U
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Need a cheap laptop for the basics? This Dell 15 laptop is easily one of the best on the market right now. At just under 300 bucks you're getting an impressive Ryzen 5 chipset and spacious 512GB storage drive, which is something that's still pretty rare at this price point. Even though this machine still only comes with 8GB of RAM, it's still absolutely perfect for doing school work, browsing, or basic work tasks on a budget.
Processor: Intel Core 7-150U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
If you want a relatively small laptop on a budget, the Dell Inspiron 14 is a fantastic choice. While it's a little pricier than some options, the combination of an Intel Core 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD makes this one great for even relatively demanding applications. At 14-inches, it's also much more portable than some 16-inch and bigger options.
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Dell's XPS 13 laptops are always worth keeping an eye out for during official sales, as we often see significant price cuts on what are some of the best laptops currently available. Right now, one of the biggest discounts you'll find is for this Snapdragon-equipped model, which also features an impressive 32GB of RAM. With a Snapdragon chipset, you'll get great performance and almost unbeatable battery life out of this model, although it does lack the Thunderbolt 4 ports that are exclusive to Intel versions.
Apple's cheapest MacBook, the MacBook Air M1, is in stock and on sale for just $599 - an incredible price that I can't imagine will last long. Not only is this an outstanding price for such a powerful laptop that still holds up well for 2024, but it may also be the last chance to pick one up now that it's officially discontinued. Don't miss this incredible deal if you want a great bang for the buck MacBook for the upcoming school year.
Processor: Apple M4
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256GB
Amazon has a $100 discount on the latest MacBook Air - a fantastic deal if you're looking for an everyday laptop. While this particular model is a relatively iterative upgrade over the previous 2024 M3 version, it's still more powerful, more power efficient, and features 16GB of RAM right out of the box. Overall, it's an outstanding buy.
Apple iMac: from $1,299 $1,249, plus free AirPods at Apple
Lastly but certainly not least is the Apple Education store's small but welcome discount on the Apple iMac. Generally seen as more of a niche option, the iMac packs-in a powerful chipset and stunning 4.5k display for a very reasonable price tag in our opinion. While not as popular as the laptops, the Apple iMac is a great option for the dorm-room or similar if you'd prefer a more static setup.
This has very briefly fallen to just $469 in the past, so this isn't a totally blockbuster deal – but it's a 5-star product and it's got a discount, so it's only right to bring it to your attention. The Mac Mini M4 is all the computer that 99% of us could ever need – it's really powerful, it's tiny, it's silent, macOS works beautifully, it's got lots of ports… read our full Mac Mini M4 review for more.
Roku's highly rated 32-inch 4K smart TV is on sale for only $139.99 - the cheapest display on our list. For that money, you get 4K resolution with HDR 10 for an impressive picture, plus an enhanced voice remote and the excellent Roku smart TV interface.
You can get the best-selling Insignia 43-inch 4K Fire TV for just $134.999 - $10 more than the record-low price, but still very low. The Insignia F30 Series features 4K HD resolution, smart capabilities with the Fire operating system, and a voice remote with hands-free Alexa, so you can use your voice to control your TV.
If you're looking for a really cheap TV deal for your dorm room, Walmart's back-to-school sale features the TCL 55-inch 4K TV for just $188. At an incredible price for a 55-inch display, you're getting 4K UHD resolution, the Google Assistant, and Chromecast built-in for seamless streaming, along with a handy voice remote.
Walmart's best big-screen budget TV deal is this 65-inch display from Onn, which is on sale for only $298. It offers 4K UHD resolution on a frameless bezel for an edge-to-edge viewing experience. The Onn. display also comes with the Roku experience for easy streaming and a compatible app that allows you to use your voice to launch shows, browse movies, and adjust the volume.
Back to school sales 2025: FAQs
When do back to school sales start?
Back-to-school sales are unique from other big retail events in that they're generally not unified around a single date. Back-to-school sales typically run from mid-July to late August and continue through mid-September. Compared to events like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, that's a remarkably long period.
Throughout this time, you can expect back-to-school-themed sales to pop up with fair regularity at most of the big retailers. It's likely they'll keep the back-to-school branding off their sites until late August, but you'll generally see great sales on items like backpacks and laptops throughout the summer months.
Who has the best back to school sales?
Due to its vast inventory and its excellent range of daily deals, Amazon is probably the best overall retailer for back-to-school sales. It's a great place for everything from cheap Chromebooks to backpacks, and you can order them all at the same time, which is a plus.
For tech deals, Best Buy, Walmart, HP, and Dell are all fantastic options if you're looking for something computing-related. The former two, in particular, always feature super-cheap laptops and TVs - perfect if you're a student looking to furnish your dorm.
Lastly, in the past few years, Apple has run its own back-to-school themed promotions - one of the rare times the retailer actually offers deals throughout the year. Apple's products can be pricey, and you'll have to prove you're a student, but you often get some of the biggest savings of the year here, as well as some freebies included with your purchase.
You can see more of today's best laptop deals and browse the best laptops for students.
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Mackenzie Frazier is the deals editor in the US for TechRadar at Future plc. She's been sharing deal advice for Future for the past six years and loves finding products that consumers want at the best possible price. She's had 11 years of experience working in e-commerce and loves being a mom to her two little boys.
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