Ring the Bell Bus tour gives Philadelphia students 12,000 free backpacks ahead of school year

PHILADELPHIA - Students across Philadelphia are getting ready to head back to class Aug. 24, and thousands of families received some extra help with school supplies during a district event in Northeast Philadelphia.

What we know:

The School District of Philadelphia and its donors have distributed 12,000 backpacks filled with school supplies during the past few weeks.

The backpacks included spiral notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, rulers and erasers.

The event marked the final stop of the district’s Ring the Bell Bus tour.

What families said

Some families arrived hours early to make sure their children could get supplies before the school year begins.

"It touches my heart to see that they’re giving back to the community and helping the people that really can’t afford it," grandmother Renee Goodman said. "Everything went up, so it helps out a lot."

Jerry Chan of Northeast Philadelphia said the supplies make a difference for families facing higher prices.

"It’s hard. I know everything, the price is going up, so it’s helpful," Chan said.

What the district said

Superintendent Tony Watlington said the event reflected a community-wide effort to start the year strong.

"So we are a village, and the village is here today to kick off a fantastic school year together," Watlington said.

Adam Northam of the School District of Philadelphia said district staff had spent August preparing families for the 2026-27 school year.

"We’ve been out all of August to get prepared, and we really hope that the families feel supported as we work to get ready for the 2026-27 school year," Northam said.

Students head back to class

For some students, the return to school brings mixed emotions.

"I’m excited but also sad because I don’t want to leave my friends," sixth grader India Swain said.

Philadelphia