Back-to-School Season Stress Hits New High: What’s Behind It and How New Tech Tools Can Help Parents Cope
New Data Finds Nearly Half of Parents Are Experiencing Higher Levels of Anxiety this Year, Driven by Complex Family Scheduling
For many parents of middle and high schoolers, the start of a new school year feels less like a fresh beginning and more like a high-speed juggling act. Between adjusting to new routines, coordinating everyone’s extracurriculars, and keeping track of all the back-to-school essentials (lunchboxes, water bottles, soccer cleats - the list goes on), stress levels can skyrocket.
We took a look to see just how real the struggle is this back-to-school season, and spoke to parents across the US to reveal how families are finding ways to cut through the chaos.
Stress is surging, and moms and dads are feeling it differently.
Back-to-school season has always been busy, but this year, parents say it’s even more intense. Nearly half (47%) report feeling more anxiety this year than in recent years, with complex family schedules and growing safety concerns leading the list of stress triggers. Overall, 83% reported feeling moderate to high levels of stress.
Moms carry more of the emotional load, with 66% reporting feeling stressed compared to 39% of dads, and 63% saying they’re anxious versus 41% of dads. However, dads are slightly more worried about general safety (57.5% vs. 55.4%), though both rank it among their top two concerns.
With so much happening at once, it’s not uncommon for things to fall off the plate of parental responsibility, and parents aren’t afraid to admit it. More than 40% say they’ve made a back-to-school blunder in the past and expect it to happen again this year. Dads lead the way with half admitting to forgetting a pickup or drop-off, compared to 32% of moms. Dads are also more likely to miss texts, mix up activity schedules, or head to the wrong location entirely.
Back-to-school stress can also ripple into other parts of daily life. 81% of parents lose sleep during this season, 67% find themselves distracted at work, and nearly three-quarters say they will vent to anyone who will listen. And if there were a magic “skip” button for the chaos? 89% of parents say they’d give up quiet evenings, morning coffee, or even a short vacation to make the first month of back-to-school run smoothly.
The hidden costs of back-to-school: time, money, and mental bandwidth.
Beyond the emotional strain, there’s a real financial and time commitment tied to back-to-school season. 92% of parents say costs—whether for supplies, clothes, or activities—add to their stress. On top of that, surveyed parents say they expect to spend nearly $300 (per child!) this school year just to replace items their kids lose. The most commonly lost school items? Hats, gloves, and accessories lead the list, followed closely by water bottles, school supplies, and jackets or sweaters. And here’s a fun fact for tech-loving families: left-ear headphones are lost nearly twice as often as right ones*, with the back-to-school surge in misplaced earpods spiking six times higher for left buds than right.
Then there’s the time factor. On average, parents devote about ten hours a week to managing calendars, carpools, and extracurricular activities. It’s a hidden workload that adds up fast and eats into parents’ own free time and mental bandwidth.
Tech to the rescue: how parents are using location-sharing.
Location-sharing has become a popular tool for parents trying to remotely keep their family on schedule. In fact, an overwhelming 96% of respondents say location-sharing tools like Life360 help improve family logistics, with the majority agreeing it brings peace of mind, reduces the need to nag, and even builds trust over time. Usage peaks at the start of the school year, when more than half of parents (52%) say they check location tools more frequently, and nearly half (48%) check daily or more.
And while knowing when your child arrives somewhere is reassuring, parents say they’d also love to know when they don’t. An overwhelming 97% say an alert for when a child doesn’t arrive where they’re supposed to be on time would be helpful, and 39% even call it a “game-changer.”
Introducing our new No Show Alerts: less checking, more living.
That feedback inspired our newest feature, No Show Alerts. The new, in-app tool sends a notification only if a loved one doesn’t arrive at a designated location by a certain time, offering busy parents a smart, silent safety net, so they can check in less without losing peace of mind.
So, whether it’s flagging that a sleepy teen missed homeroom again, or that a partner forgot they were on pickup duty, the No Show Alerts feature acts as a digital heads-up when plans go off-track. It’s a small change that can make a big difference by helping parents reclaim their time, focus on their own day, and still have the peace of mind that comes from knowing their child is where they’re supposed to be.
Here’s how to set a No Show Alert on Life360:
Navigate to the Circle of the member you’d like to set an alert for
Tap the member’s profile and tap ‘Set a No Show Alert’
Set the Place and time they should be there by for one-time notifications
Or tap ‘Repeat’ and select the desired days of the week for a recurring alert
Check this off the list - the No Show Alert will only be sent if they don’t arrive by the set time
You can learn more about No Show Alerts and how they work here.
From chaos to control: turning back-to-school stress into peace of mind.
Back-to-school will always bring a little chaos, but with the right tools and strategies, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This year, parents are finding ways to balance excitement and stress, own their imperfections, and lean on technology that actually makes life easier. Our new No Show Alert tool (alongside our other standout features) is just one example of how listening to families can lead to smarter, calmer, and more connected school days ahead.
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Survey Methodology:
This sample of 1000 US parents (age 18+) was surveyed between July 25th and July 29th, 2025. All respondents are currently the parent of at least one child currently in school (public, private, or homeschool) between the ages of 10-17, confirmed by both consumer-matched data and self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web, along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results.
*Life360 analysis of lost item reports among users ages 16-18 in July, August, and September 2024.