By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
North Carolina teachers often spend over $900 of their own money on classroom supplies. To help lighten that burden, WakeEd Partnership, an independent nonprofit working to improve public education, created Tools4Schools, a free classroom supply store serving Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) teachers.
Since opening in 2022, Tools4Schools has given away more than $1.6 million worth of new school supplies to WCPSS teachers. In the 2024–2025 school year, the store served over 5,000 teachers from 100% of Wake County’s public schools.
All WCPSS educators and certified staff are eligible to shop for free at Tools4Schools once per quarter. Each semester, they receive 100 points to spend on supplies ranging from pencils and notebooks to sticky notes and other classroom essentials.
To shop, teachers must sign up for a time slot online—walk-ins are not accepted. Title I schools and higher-need areas receive priority access during each shopping period.
The store, currently housed in a former car dealership on Piney Plains Drive in Cary, operates three days a week. The building is temporarily donated by the Wake County Public School System.
The ongoing “Back to School with Tools4Schools” supply drive runs through August 22, with public drop-off sites throughout Wake County. Community members and organizations are encouraged to donate new or gently used school supplies or volunteer their time to help stock shelves, unpack donations, and assist teachers in the store.
Tools4Schools is powered by community donations, corporate sponsors, and volunteers. For more information, visit www.wakeed.org/tools4schools
