A back to school flyer lands in the busiest weeks of a family's summer, next to registration packets, supply lists and sports forms. Schools use back to school flyers for orientation and open house, churches and nonprofits for backpack giveaways, and salons, barbers and shops for first-day deals. Below you'll find wording for each, design notes for take-home handouts and group chats, and a way to build one in Flyer Maker.
What to put on a back to school flyer
Parents read these in a hurry, so answer every question they would otherwise call you about. List them in this order.
- The event or offer. "Free Backpack Giveaway", "Sixth Grade Orientation" or "Kids' Cuts from $15".
- When, start to finish. "Saturday, August 7, 10 AM to 1 PM."
- The place, down to the door. "Fellowship hall entrance" or "Enter through the gym doors" saves a lap around the building.
- Who it's for. "Students entering grades K to 8" or "New 6th graders and their families".
- The rules, for a giveaway. "Child must be present", "One backpack per student", "Pre-register by August 1".
- What to bring. "Your class schedule", "a water bottle", or proof of address if your giveaway asks for it.
- What's included. "Backpack with supplies, free haircuts and vision screenings."
- For a business, the price and the last day. "Kids' cuts from $15 through Sunday, August 15."
- One contact. A phone, an email or a short link.
Optional:
- A second language. Spanish and English side by side works when both stay short. The bilingual flyer page has layouts.
- Sponsors, in one strip along the bottom.
- Parking and access. "Free parking behind the school" or "Step-free entrance on Oak Street".
Back to school flyer ideas and wording
The ten occasions below cover school events, community giveaways and business promos, with made-up names and prices to replace.
| Occasion | Headline | Supporting line |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten orientation | "Welcome to Kindergarten" | "Meet your teacher and see your classroom. Thursday, August 12, 9 to 10:30 AM." |
| Middle or high school orientation | "Sixth Grade Orientation" | "Pick up your schedule, open your locker, find every classroom." |
| Back to school night | "Back to School Night" | "Meet your child's teachers, 6 to 7:30 PM. Childcare in the library." |
| Backpack giveaway | "Free Backpacks and School Supplies" | "Grades K to 8. Child must be present. While supplies last." |
| Community bash | "Back to School Bash in the Park" | "Free haircuts, snacks, games and supplies for students." |
| School supply drive | "Fill a Backpack for a Neighbor" | "Drop off new supplies in the library lobby through August 8." |
| PTA or PTO sign-up | "Join the PTA This Fall" | "$10 per family funds field trips and classroom supply grants." |
| Kids' haircut promo | "First-Day Fades and Braids" | "Kids' cuts from $15 through August 15. Book early." |
| Uniform or supply shop | "School Uniform Pants, 2 for $30" | "Navy and khaki, sizes 4 to 18, through Labor Day." |
| Tutoring sign-ups | "Start the Year Ahead in Math" | "Small-group tutoring for grades 3 to 8, starting in September." |
Salons and barbers can find back-to-school price list wording on the nail and hair salon flyer page and the barber shop flyer page. Tutors can take September sign-up wording from the tutoring flyer ideas. Once classes start, clubs and student council candidates need posters too, and the school project and club flyer page covers those.
Three wording habits that save families a wasted trip:
- Put "free" and the rules on the same line. "Free backpacks for grades K to 8, child must be present" tells a family whether to make the trip.
- Name the grades. "Students" alone leaves a parent of a high schooler guessing.
- Give giveaways an end time. "10 AM to 1 PM, or until supplies run out" is honest about both limits.
Back to school flyer design tips
Pick a background with a quiet middle. A back to school flyer background works when the decoration stays at the edges: a notebook-paper border, a chalkboard with a drawn pencil frame, or crayons along the bottom. Describe it in words ("a chalkboard background with a hand-drawn pencil border and a plain center"), so the date and rules sit on a calm area.
Plan for the office copier. If a school will copy your flyer in black and white for take-home folders, choose Black and white under Colors from the start, so light yellow text doesn't vanish into gray.
Make the folder version first. If the school sends home half-page handouts, design for 5.5 x 8.5 inches. A design that reads at that size also works on a door, but a crowded letter-size design shrunk to half a page doesn't.
Cut the phone version down. For a class group chat, keep only the headline, date, place and eligibility, and let the full details live on the printed flyer or your website.
Give sponsors one strip. Local businesses that donated supplies fit in a single row at the bottom, in the same small size, so no logo competes with the date.
Match the look to the sender. School events suit a calm, clean look in the school colors. Giveaways and park bashes can be bright and playful. A shop promo can borrow the notebook and pencil theme to tie the offer to the season.
Back to school flyer sizes and printing
Plan on half-page handouts for folders and one letter-size copy for a door or window.
| Where it's handed out or posted | Paper | 300 DPI pixel size | Flyer Maker size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-home folder, two per sheet | Half letter, 5.5 x 8.5 in | 1650 x 2550 | Tall, 2K |
| Front office door, church lobby, shop window | Letter, 8.5 x 11 in | 2550 x 3300 | Tall, 4K |
| Class group chat or social page | 4:5 image | Screen only | Portrait, 1K |
Half letter is one of the flyer sizes GotPrint lists as most popular. The Tall shape (3:4) is a little wider in proportion than half letter: when it fills the 5.5-inch width, the design is about 7.3 inches tall, which leaves roughly 0.6 inch of paper showing above and below it. To print two at home, place two copies side by side on one landscape letter page (11 x 8.5 in) and cut along the center line. For printing, choose 2K or 4K. For posters and postcards, see standard flyer and poster sizes.
Common mistakes on back-to-school handouts
- A "free" offer with conditions in the fine print. Spell out a free deal's conditions clearly, and keep the item a customer must buy at its regular price. "Free backpack with any kids' cut" needs its catch printed right next to it.
- Last year's weekday on this year's date. August dates are easy to copy from an old flyer. Check every weekday against the current calendar.
- No grade range. A giveaway flyer without grades brings families who can't be served.
- Dropping stacks at a school without asking. The front office decides what goes home in folders, so ask before you print a hundred copies.
- One flyer for three events. An orientation, a supply drive and a PTA meeting on one page means none of them gets read. Make one flyer per event.
More prompts for August school events
Back to School Night flyer. Headline: "Back to School Night". Tuesday, August 17, 6 to 7:30 PM, at Wexley Middle School, 450 Linden Avenue. Follow your child's schedule and meet every teacher in 10-minute visits. Free childcare for younger brothers and sisters in the library. For all families. Call to action: "RSVP for childcare at example.com/btsn by Friday, August 13." Crisp layout with an apple and a notebook drawn in simple lines.School supply drive flyer. Headline: "Fill a Backpack for a Neighbor". Drop off new school supplies at Cedar Street Library, 95 Cedar Street, Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM, through Sunday, August 8. Most needed: pencils, glue sticks, wide-ruled notebooks and headphones. Everything goes to students at two nearby elementary schools. Call to action: "See the full list at example.com/supplydrive." Warm illustration of a backpack overflowing with crayons and notebooks.How to make a back to school flyer in Flyer Maker
- Start in "Describe your flyer". In Flyer Maker, give the event or offer, the day, date and hours, the place and entrance, who qualifies, the rules, what to bring and the call to action. Then describe the background you want.
- Choose Tall for folders, doors and windows. Pick Portrait when the flyer is only going to parents' phones.
- Pick a Flyer type under "More options". Education fits school events, Event fits giveaways and park bashes, and Sale fits shop promos. Switch Colors to Black and white if the school office will photocopy it.
- Put your number or link in "Contact info". Flyer Maker works only from the contact details you enter.
- Tap "Create flyer". A back-to-school design takes about 30 seconds.
- Check the August dates and weekdays, the grades and every rule. Request changes in "Want to change something?" under the result (currently 60 credits, 70 at 2K, 90 at 4K), or adjust your description and create it once more.