12 best back-to-school sales for 2017

As you stroll through the aisles of local stores and pharmacies, you may catch a whiff of freshly sharpened pencils and unopened notebooks.

The familiar aroma of school supplies heralds the beginning of August, the official start of the . The season is accompanied by a flood of excellent back-to-school sales, where you’ll discover deals on everything from apparel to electronics.

The average American spends $208.10 per child and $428.39 per family on back-to-school shopping, according to a 2017 spending survey from Offers.com. You can outfit your youngsters for a successful school year for less at these 12 best back-to-school sales for 2017.

Apple July 12 鈥� Sept. 25

聽Apple runs a new聽聽every year, rewarding qualifying shoppers with freebies on select purchases. This year, Apple is giving out a free pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones with the purchase of a new Mac computer or iPad Pro. The retailer is also providing special education pricing on select products. The free Beats headphones and education pricing offers are available exclusively to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, plus faculty and staff of all grade levels.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

Microsoft TBA Not to be outdone by Apple, Microsoft is drawing shoppers with its own set of back-to-school deals. Top offers include: 鈥� 10 percent off Surface devices for eligible students, faculty and staff at universities and colleges. 鈥� 10 percent off select PCs for eligible students, faculty and staff at universities and colleges. 鈥� One free year of Office 365 Personal with any Surface Laptop purchase. (AP Photo Ted S. Warren, File)

AP Photo Ted S. Warren, File

Best Buy TBA As the new school year approaches, Best Buy is offering a series of student-exclusive deals. To access student-only offers, you must create a Best Buy account. Example deals include: 鈥� $100 off select MacBook and iMac models. 鈥� $125 off select computers. 鈥� 10 percent off select Surface devices. (Courtesy of Microsoft via AP)

Courtesy of Microsoft via AP

Back to school supplies can be expensive. For divorced or separating parents, often the question is raised, 'Who's going to pay for these?' (Photo Getty Images) — **Amazon** July 17 鈥� Sept. 6 To celebrate back-to-school season,聽聽is taking up to 80 percent off school essentials. This includes school supplies, kids鈥� apparel, electronics and more. (Thinkstock)

Target TBA According to Target鈥檚 website, the retailer has 鈥渓owered prices on school supplies all season long.鈥� Top offers include: 鈥� Character backpacks with a lunch bag and pencil pouch starting at $14. 鈥� School supplies at less than $1, $3, $5 and $10. (Thinkstock)

Thinkstock

Students in classroom. — **Staples** TBA To equip shoppers for the school year, Staples is offering store-brand paper, notebooks, pens and other school supplies at 50 cents and $1. These prices are available in stores only. (Thinkstock)

Kmart July 31 鈥� Aug. 26 This year, Kmart is holding a back-to-school sale on apparel, electronics and school supplies. Noteworthy deals include: 鈥� Buy one, get one 50 percent off kids鈥� casuals, athletics and fashion boots. 鈥� Jeans for the whole family, starting at $10. 鈥� 25 cents for one-subject notebooks. 鈥� 88 cents for college or wide-ruled 150-sheet filler paper. 鈥� 50 cents for Elmer鈥檚 glue (4 ounces). (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File

L.L. Bean Ends Aug. 27 This year, L.L. Bean is treating back-to-school shoppers to savings on backpacks, kids鈥� clothing and more. The sale includes the following offers: 鈥� 20 percent off backpacks and kids鈥� clothing with promo code KIDS20. 鈥斅�. (Hideki Hashiramoto/L.L.Bean via AP)

Hideki Hashiramoto/L.L.Bean via AP

Old Navy TBA Old Navy is hosting a 鈥淏ack to Cool鈥� sale on聽聽and adults alike. Highlights from the sale include: 鈥� Up to 50 percent off kids鈥� and baby apparel. 鈥� Up to 50 percent off adult tops, jeans, shirts and shorts. 鈥� Jeans from $10. 鈥� T-shirts from $4. 鈥� Dresses from $8. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

AP Photo/Russell Contreras

New Balance July 18 鈥� Aug. 5 With the new school year around the corner, New Balance is offering a sale on kids鈥� footwear. Offers include: 鈥� 15 percent off casual and athletic shoes for boys and girls. 鈥� Free shipping on orders of more than $125. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

AP Photo/Stephan Savoia