Educators and families can find back-to-school discounts at their local Target, starting this Sunday.
The big-box retailer is offering a one-time 20% discount on any shopping trip for those registered with the retailer’s Target Circle App and provide identification showing that they are either a K-12 teacher, teacher working at a daycare, vocational school or early childhood learning center or a university professor.
Target is also offering college students the same one-time 20% discount, provided they are verified through the retailer’s Target Circle App.
Customers with a Target.com account or a RedCard credit or debit card are automatically enrolled in Target Circle and would need to provide verification if they have not already.
Both promotions begin on July 16 and run through August 26 and apply to both online and in store purchases.
Walmart+ WeekTop 10 Walmart+ Week deals that rival Prime Day prices
Teacher discount helps educators cover budget shortfalls
This is the sixth year in a row Target has offered teachers a discount for the back-to-school shopping season. In previous years, the discounts were limited to school supplies.
The offer comes as school supply prices have risen, taking a bite out of teachers’ salaries.
Teachers on average spent $860 out of pocket on classroom supplies in the 2022-2023 school year, according to a survey conducted by Adopt a Classroom. This was a 14% increase since 2021, the last time the survey was conducted.
“Are my students going to learn better? If the answer is yes, then I will spend,” said Korie Barbato, a fourth-grade teacher at Andasol Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles. Barbato said she spent $300 after discounts during Target’s promotion last year and estimated that she spent $1,000 on classroom supplies throughout the year.
The average classroom budget last year was $200, according to the 3,200 teachers included in the survey, and 84% said they spent money out of their own pocket to cover costs for those basic school supplies. More than 90% said their classroom budget failed to meet their student’s needs.
