Not every child needs the same number of school labels. A kindergartener going to school for the first time has a very different labeling list than a ninth grader. Younger children need more labels — more clothing items, more school supplies, more shoes — while older students typically need fewer but still benefit significantly from having the key items covered.
We offer two school label packs designed for these different situations. Here's exactly what's in each one, which grade level each is designed for, and how to customize your order to get precisely what you need — so everything your child takes to school has a name on it before the first day.
From the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels
As a mom of three boys at different ages and stages, and the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels, I designed both our school label packs based on what our own children actually needed — not what looked good on a product page. This guide will tell you exactly which one fits your situation and how to get the most out of your order.
What's in this guide
- The two school label packs at a glance
- Ultimate School Label Pack — 134 labels for comprehensive coverage
- School Essentials Label Pack — 67 labels for older students
- Which pack for which grade — preschool through high school
- Multiple children? Split any pack across names
- Add clothing labels and shoe labels to any pack
- When to order — why June beats August every time
- Frequently asked questions
1. The Two School Label Packs at a Glance
134 labels
- Wide variety of sizes and shapes
- All sizes needed for school supplies
- Two contact labels included
- Best for preschool through grade 8
- Best for complete labeling in one order
67 labels
- Three smaller sizes plus one large rectangle
- Covers pens, pencils, folders, water bottles
- Best for middle school, high school, and teens
- Best for targeted essential labeling
2. Ultimate School Label Pack — 134 Labels for Comprehensive Coverage
Our Ultimate School Label Pack is designed for parents who need to label everything — and for younger children, that's genuinely a long list. In the early school years, children take more clothing items, more school supplies, and more personal items to school. More items means more school labels, and this pack is built around that reality.
134 labels in a wider variety of sizes and shapes covers the full range of things a primary school student needs labeled — from pencils and pens to lunchboxes, water bottles, clothing, bags, shoes, and everything in between. The variety of sizes ensures you have the right size for each surface rather than making do with labels that are too large or too small.
Two features worth highlighting specifically:
- Two contact labels included. The contact label has room for your child's name plus up to four additional lines — phone number, email, address, whatever information is most useful for someone returning a lost item. Best placements: inside lunchboxes, backpacks, and gym bags where they're protected from external wear but immediately visible when someone opens the bag looking for the owner.
- All necessary sizes for school supplies. Rather than guessing which size to order, this pack includes the range — so you have the right label for a pencil, a water bottle, a lunchbox, and a jacket all in one order. Our extra small rectangle labels in this pack fit directly on pencils, markers, and crayons — a school supply label option competitors don't carry.
3. School Essentials Label Pack — 67 Labels for Older Students
Our School Essentials Label Pack is designed for older students who don't need to label as many items but still benefit significantly from having the key ones covered. Teenagers and high school students typically have fewer clothing items requiring labels, but they carry more expensive gear — water bottles, calculators, headphones, tech devices — that genuinely needs a name on it.
67 labels in three smaller sizes plus one large rectangle covers the essential school labeling without the volume that younger children require. The label sizes are calibrated for the items older students most commonly need labeled: pens, pencils, folders, notebooks, earbuds, water bottles, and similar school supplies.
4. Which Pack for Which Grade — Preschool Through High School
The right school label pack depends on your child's age, how much they carry, and how thoroughly you want to label. Here's how to match the pack to the grade:
Preschool and Kindergarten — Ultimate Pack (134 labels)
Preschool labels cover more surfaces than any other age group. Cubbies, lunch bags, clothing, naptime blankets, water bottles, snack containers — everything in a preschool classroom that belongs to your child needs a name on it because there are 15 other children with identical items in the same room. Preschool name tags on clothing and lunchboxes are what teachers use to sort belongings at the end of the day. The Ultimate Pack's 134 labels cover the full preschool list in one order. For children who identify belongings visually before they can read, bold designs help them spot their things across a room.
Elementary School (Grades 1–5) — Ultimate Pack (134 labels)
Elementary-age children are still developing the organizational skills to keep track of their belongings. School labels on every item — every pencil, every crayon, every folder, every jacket — are what bring those items home at the end of the week. The Ultimate Pack covers the full kit: clothing, shoes, water bottle, lunchbox, backpack, and supplies. School labels for kids in this age range are especially important for PE kits and jackets that leave the classroom and move between spaces throughout the day.
Middle School (Grades 6–8) — Essentials Pack (67 labels) or Ultimate Pack
Middle schoolers carry fewer labeled clothing items but more gear. A water bottle, backpack, jacket, calculator, and key school supplies are the priorities. The Essentials Pack covers exactly this list. If your child is moving from a fully labeled elementary kit to a more selective labeling approach, the Essentials Pack is the right transition. If they're still losing things at an elementary rate, the Ultimate Pack gives you the volume to stay on top of it.
High School — Essentials Pack (67 labels)
High school labels look different from elementary ones — older students want something that looks intentional, not "my mom labeled this." Our die-cut labels are the right choice here because they look like stickers a teenager would choose themselves, while still clearly displaying a name for lost-and-found recovery. High school labels on the water bottle, backpack, and most-used supplies are the minimum. A $50 calculator without a name on it is a gift to whoever finds it in the library. The Essentials Pack covers the key items without excess.
5. Multiple Children? Split Any Pack Across Names
If you have more than one child starting school, any of our school label packs can be split across multiple names in a single order — at no extra charge. This makes the larger pack particularly cost-effective for families with two or more school-age children.
How it works: type "Split" in the name field at checkout and list all the names in the Special Request field. We'll divide the pack as evenly as possible between the names provided. If you have three children, one pack split three ways gives each child a portion of the labels.
You can also specify a color per child when ordering designs that offer color choices — our solid, chevron, and dot designs, for example. Specify blue for one child and green for another, and each child's school labels will be in their designated color. This makes the split pack system work as a color-coding system too — everyone in the household has their color, labels are instantly distinguishable, and laundry sorting becomes a visual task any child can manage.
6. Add Clothing Labels and Shoe Labels to Any Pack
Both school label packs can be customized at checkout with matching clothing labels and shoe labels. School uniforms, PE kits, jackets, and shoes are the items most likely to end up in a lost-and-found without identification — and clothing labels are what bring them home.
Apply to garment care tags or tagless imprint areas inside jackets, gloves, scarves, uniforms, and any clothing item. Laundry-safe and designed to stay put through regular washing until you intentionally remove them. No iron, no tools — peel and press. A different material from waterproof labels, specifically designed for clothing applications.
Bond permanently to iron-safe fabrics using a household iron. Completely flat once applied — no bulk, no edges, sensory-safe for children who notice tags and textures. The most durable clothing label option for school uniforms and PE kits that go through weekly washing. Cotton setting, no steam, 60–90 second press-and-lift, 24-hour cure before washing. For iron-safe fabrics only.
Waterproof labels designed for the curved inner sole surface at the heel. Washer and dryer safe. For younger children who take their shoes off for naptime or are still learning left from right, our MatchUP Shoe Labels add a second layer of value — each label is one half of a puzzle picture that only forms correctly when shoes are on the right feet, making left-right learning a natural part of getting dressed.
7. When to Order School Labels — Why June Beats August Every Time
The single most common mistake families make with back to school labels is ordering too late. Here's why June or July is the right time and August is the wrong one:
- Iron-on labels need 24 hours to cure before the first wash. If you're labeling school uniforms the night before the first day, you're adding risk to a time-sensitive process.
- Waterproof labels need 24 hours before the first dishwasher cycle. Label the water bottle in July and it's fully bonded before school starts in September.
- A full labeling session takes about 45 minutes done properly. That's a relaxed Saturday morning in July — not a rushed Sunday night in August.
- Back to school label orders spike in August. Ordering in June or July means faster production and delivery, and more time to catch anything you missed.
Our Ultimate School Label Pack (134 labels for K–8) and School Essentials Label Pack (67 labels for older students) are both available year-round. Browse both packs and all add-on options at Sticky Monkey Labels. Questions about which school label pack is right for your child's age and situation? Call us at 1-888-780-7734 — we're always happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which school label pack should I choose — the 134-label pack or the 67-label pack?
For younger children — preschool through grade 8 — the 134-label Ultimate School Label Pack gives you the volume and size variety needed to label everything comprehensively. For older students and teenagers who need fewer labels but still want the key items covered, the 67-label School Essentials Label Pack is the right fit. If you're unsure, the 134-label pack can always be split across multiple children's names.
What are the best school labels for preschool?
The Ultimate School Label Pack is the right choice for preschool. Preschool labels need to cover more surfaces than any other age — cubby hooks, lunch bags, snack containers, clothing, naptime blankets, water bottles, and shoes. The 134-label pack includes the full size range for all of these. Bold designs with characters or animals are especially useful for preschoolers who identify their belongings visually before they can read their own name.
Do you have school name tags for school supplies like pencils?
Yes — and this is one thing our competitors don't offer. Our extra small rectangle labels fit directly on pencils, markers, crayons, and colored pencils. A labeled pencil that rolls under a desk comes back to your child. An unlabeled one doesn't. The Ultimate School Label Pack includes these sizes as part of the full kit.
Can I split a school label pack between two children?
Yes — any school label pack can be split across multiple names at no extra charge. Type "Split" in the name field at checkout and list the names in the Special Request field. We'll divide the pack as evenly as possible. You can also specify a color per child for designs that offer color options, making each child's school labels instantly distinguishable from their siblings'.
What is a contact label and where should I use it?
A contact label includes your child's name plus up to four additional lines for your contact information — phone number, email, or whatever is most useful for someone trying to return a lost item. Best placements: inside the lunchbox, inside the backpack, and inside any gym or sports bag. Protected from external wear but immediately visible when someone opens the item looking for the owner.
Can I add clothing labels to a school label pack?
Yes — both school label packs can be customized at checkout with matching clothing labels in stick-on or iron-on style, and shoe labels. Adding clothing labels to your school pack order means everything arrives together and you can complete all your labeling — school supplies, water bottle, backpack, and uniforms — in one session before the school year starts.
When should I order back to school labels?
June or July. Iron-on labels need 24 hours to cure before washing. Waterproof labels need 24 hours before the first dishwasher cycle. A full labeling session takes about 45 minutes done properly — that's a relaxed Saturday morning in July, not a rushed Sunday night before the first day of school. Our Ultimate School Label Pack and School Essentials Label Pack are available year-round.
What are MatchUP Shoe Labels and are they included?
MatchUP Shoe Labels are a two-part puzzle label — one half on each shoe — that forms a complete picture only when the shoes are on the correct feet. They label the shoes and teach left from right simultaneously, which is particularly useful for children in preschool and kindergarten. They can be added as an option when customizing your school label pack at checkout.