Somehow, it's that time of the summer again: Back-to-school season is on the horizon. That means it's time to start shopping. Whether you have a kiddo heading to kindergarten or college, they'll need a few key supplies to get the year started off right. To help you avoid last-minute scrambling, our editors have hand-selected some school essentials for you.
From top-rated laptops, durable water bottles, smart notebooks and everything in between, these finds cover gear, gadgets and services that will help students stay productive and engaged in the classroom. A smooth start can help set your scholar up for success the whole year. Check out our favorite finds to get ready for the school year now.
Best back-to-school tech
Kadams Pomodoro Visual Timer Cube It can be tough for everyone to transition from the freedom of summer to the structure and homework a new school year brings. To help students stay focused while doing school tasks, try a visual timer. This handy, easy-to-use device can help with time management and reduce procrastination for scholars of all ages. You can set it for any time between 1 and 99 minutes, and the LED ring display then gradually fills as the time progresses. There's also a stopwatch mode that can be used for timing other activities -- like workouts and cooking. Fun for the whole family. $17 at Walmart Close
Rocketbook Core reusable spiral notebook Taking notes is a whole lot easier -- and smarter -- thanks to Rocketbook's reusable notebooks. Students can write on pages like they're regular paper, then scan and upload their notes to a cloud platform of choice (like Google Drive, Dropbox and more). Once their notes are safely stored, they can wipe the page clean with a damp cloth and start fresh. Other features include the ability to bundle pages together and search for handwritten text -- no more flipping through pages to find that one note they took in history class last week. They can also choose between classic lined, custom dot grids or blank pages to suit their needs. Genius, right? $32 at Amazon Close
Apple MacBook Air M1 This isn't the latest MacBook Air in Apple's lineup, but it's hard to beat the price. For just $649, you get a solid laptop that features Apple's M1 processor with an eight‑core CPU, seven‑core GPU and 16‑core Neural Engine. It also has Touch ID, Apple's Magic Keyboard, a Force Touch trackpad and a 13.3-inch Retina display. Read our MacBook Air M1 review. See at Walmart Close
Anker Zolo portable power bank Most students can't go one second without their phones, whether they're texting friends or looking up homework assignments. If you want to make sure their phone never runs out of juice, get them a power bank for easy charging on the go. The 10,000-mAh Anker Zolo is CNET's favorite power bank. It's fast-charging, easy to slip into a pocket or backpack and you can use the USB-C cable as a lanyard when it's not plugged into a device. Be aware that Anker recently issued a global recall of several products, so double-check the model number of the Anker charger you select before finalizing your purchase to make sure you're not buying a faulty product. $26 at Amazon Close
Speck phone case Not only do you need to keep their phone juiced up, but you'll need to make sure it stays protected and can withstand the rigors of being thrown into a backpack or left on a gym floor. Speck makes a variety of stylish cases for various models. Prices start as low as $9 for a clear polycarbonate case and go all the way up to $50 depending on the model. See at Amazon Close
Apple AirPods 4 Apple's got a pretty solid grip on kids and teens, which is why AirPods remain a top choice among students. While you could pay a bit more for the AirPods Pro 2, we suggest going with the excellent but less expensive fourth-gen AirPods, winner of a CNET Editors' Choice Award. They offer active noise cancellation, the same H2 chip found in the Pro 2 and the design fits smaller ears a bit better than the Pros. Read our AirPods 3 review. $159 at Amazon Close
Acer Chromebook Plus 514 If you don't want to plunk down a ton of cash for a new Apple laptop, a Chromebook is the way to go. They're almost always less expensive and simpler to use than a laptop running Windows or MacOS. This Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is durable, lightweight, and offers a long battery life and good webcam performance, which is why it landed at the top of our list of the best Chromebook of 2025. Read our Acer Chromebook Plus 514 review. $650 at Walmart Close
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