Best Shoe Brands for Back to School – The Top 5 Most Durable and Affordable Brands

Are you wondering what shoe brands manufacture supportive, durable, and affordable school shoes? Have you been looking for a pair of back to school shoes that are capable of fitting the shape of your child’s feet and at the same time comply with your child’s school uniform policies? I will show you the best shoe brands for back to school and the best shoe styles among each brand based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.

Some schools have stricter uniform policies when it comes to which types of shoes children can wear in terms of material, color and style. There are certain schools that allow children to wear full black leather shoes, whilst others allow children to wear nearly any type of enclosed shoe.

My Experience Fitting Children in Back to School Shoes

I have been working at a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years, where we focus on helping children with “complicated” foot shapes as well as foot conditions, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well.

As a shoe fitter, I handle approximately 100 shoe fittings/try-ons per week and have become very familiar with the best shoe brands for back to school.

During back to school season, the shoe store that I work for is a madhouse. Some families have to wait anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes (or longer) to be fitted for shoes. We are a fitting shoe store, so we take the time to make sure no child walks out of the store wearing the wrong types of shoes.

If you prefer to shop for your kids’ shoes online rather than going to your local shoe store, I am going to show you a set of guidelines that your kids’ school shoes must provide.

What Type of Shoes Are Best for School?

These are the two most important features that the school shoes I recommend provide:

1️⃣ Substantial outsoles that are lightweight and flexible at the same time: Your kids’ back to school shoes need to be supportive to protect and support your kids’ feet, but they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time to prevent your kids’ feet from easily getting tired.

2️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: Your kids back to school shoes need to provide firm heel counters to support and protect your child’s heels and ankles.

Always press on the heel counter of your kids’ shoes and make sure it’s well-padded and firm:

How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape

Before I show you a list of the best shoe brands for school I want to make sure that you know your child’s exact foot length and shape. For example, do you know whether your child’s feet are narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide? Do you know whether your child has flat, regular, or high arches? If you are unsure of your child’s exact foot length and shape I suggest that you follow the instructions in the article below:

How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width

Now that you know your child’s exact foot length and shape, let’s take a look at the best shoe brands for back to school. I will also show you my go-to shoe styles for each brand.

Best Shoe Brands for Back to School ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

These are the best shoe brands for back to school in terms of support, comfort, and durability. Keep in mind that just because I recommend a specific shoe brand that doesn’t mean that all shoes from that brand will provide the same levels of comfort and support. There are specific styles amongst each shoe brand that work better than others, and I will break it down for you so you know which styles these are.

Stride Rite

This shoe brand manufactures durable back to school shoes made out of 100% leather. Their most popular style is called Claire, which is a Mary Jane made out of leather that provides a substantial outsole and a firm heel counter for excellent support.

The Mary Jane shoes below can fit children with medium, wide, or extra wide feet.

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New Balance

This shoe brand manufactures durable back to school shoes made out of leather. The New Balance shoes below provide excellent structure and support and can fit children with medium, wide, or extra wide feet. This style is available in black and white to comply with most school uniform policies.

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Geox

This shoe brand manufactures durable back to school made out of leather. The Geox shoes below provide excellent structure and support and can fit children with medium or wide feet.

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Naturino

Naturino shoes are made out of 100% leather and they can fit children with narrow or medium feet.

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Sperry

Sperry manufactures some of the most popular back to school shoes for kids. Their signature shoes are the Dirty Buck and their boat shoes. The shoes below can fit children with medium or wide feet.

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Unsure About What Shoe Size You Should Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes, I indicate whether you need to order a half size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

*A half a size bigger translates to 3/16 of an inch or 0.4 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.

*A whole size bigger translates to 3/8 of an inch or 0.8 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.

These are the best shoe brands for back to school based on comfort, support, fit, and durability.

What Are the Best Athletic Shoes for Back to School?

If you are looking for a pair of athletic shoes that your child can wear to PE (physical education class) I suggest that you take a look at the article below:

Best Gym Shoes for School – Supportive, Durable, and Affordable!

It’s important that your child wears the correct type of athletic shoes to gym class to prevent leg, ankle and foot injuries.

Are There Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

If you are looking for a different shoe style or a different color don’t hesitate to contact me with your child’s foot shape and location and I will provide you with different back to school shoe recommendations:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Let me know in the comment section below which is your favorite back to school shoe brand!