A survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), shows 28% of parents are taking on debt to cover back to school costs.
The research found families are taking on higher levels of debt, amounting to an average of €368 euro, up €62 since last year.
However, the amount of families reporting financial pressure has dropped to 62%, down 10% since last year.
The ICLU's annual Back to School survey also found it's set to be more expensive to send a secondary school pupil back to school this year compared to last September, rising €113 in the past year to €1,401.
However, back to school costs for primary school pupils were down €66 compared to last year, to an average of €1,086.
The drop in costs for primary school are being put down to the newly introduced Free School Books scheme, as well as more schools offering the Hot Meals scheme.
The research also found almost half (46%) of parents of school children who are struggling to manage costs say they’ve cancelled or reduced a non-essential service or activities to manage rising costs and almost 1 in 4 are trying to earn additional income.
