Free Printable Back To School Banner

It’s almost time to trade in those flip flops for… slightly less comfortable shoes! But there’s still room to celebrate the new school year between all the forms, the shopping, and the emotional pep talks. So let’s add a bit of sparkle to the chaos with a cute free printable back-to-school banner. Just try not to trip over the backpacks while you’re hanging it up!

You know, sometimes I think we parents deserve the decorations more than the kids! After all, we’re the ones who have to remember and set up everything! But seeing their faces light up when they see this cute banner? So worth it!

I made this free printable back to school banner with versatility in mind. It has:

• All the uppercase letters
• Symbols (. , ! ? &)
• All the numbers
• Cute lightbulb divider

Print on regular U.S. Letter paper, cut, hang, and your back-to-school decor is ready! It’s great to use at home or in the classroom, and you can spell any message you want.

🎒 DIY Back To School Banner

Decorating for the first day of school can and should be fun and easy and this banner fits the purpose.

👉First, figure out what message you want to spell. Then, make a list of the letters, numbers, symbols, and dividers that you need.

👉I like to print on cardstock for a truly sturdy and professional-looking banner, but regular U.S. Letter paper works too.

👉After printing, it’s time to cut those pennants. The number and divider pennants have curved shapes – I like to use a pair of scissors for these. The letter and symbol pennants are rectangles, and the easiest way to cut these straight lines is with a paper cutter and a ruler.

👉Then, all you have left to do is arrange the pieces in the right order and hang them up using string or ribbon and tape, glue, or even clothespins.

🖨️ Grab It Now

Just a few quick steps to getting your copy of this cute free printable back to school banner!

✔️Fill in your name and email in the box below.

✔️Hit the “Grab It Now” button and we’ll send you an email with the download link.

✔️Click that download link, then save the PDF file on your device.

✔️Open it using a PDF reader (like the free Adobe Reader) and go to File->Print.

✔️Here you can select the pages you want to print. If you’re not printing on U.S. Letter paper you can also change the type of paper used and, if needed, adjust the scale of the pennants.

✔️Once you do all the adjustments, hit the Print button and enjoy!

💡Bonus Freebie – Turn those precious back-to-school moments into memories that last a lifetime with this free printable first day of school interview. They’re a fun activity for kids and let you capture all of their cuteness and quirkiness!

🍎 How To Use This School Themed Banner

I’m sure you already have some ideas for using the banner, but honestly, there are so many and a bit of variety never hurts! Here are a whole bunch of ideas to help you make the most of it.

🏠 At Home

⭐Back-to-School Photo Backdrop – This is my favorite way to use it. Gotta have some cute photos to celebrate this special moment, right? And, you can pair it with my free printable first day of school signs (these are for 2025-2026 but we release updated signs every year) for some truly special pics.

⭐Kids Room Decor – Bring the school spirit into your child’s room the fun and easy way! You can use the banner to write their name or inspirational messages to inspire their love for learning.

⭐Homework Station – Create a designated homework station and hang a banner with a fun phrase like “Homework Heroes” or “Future Geniuses at Work!” to make those study sessions a little more enjoyable.

📚 In The Classroom

⭐Welcome Banner – If you’re a teacher, you can never go wrong with a classic “Welcome Back!” or “Welcome to [GRADE]!” banner. It’ll warm up the classroom in an instant!

⭐Subject Signs – You have the whole alphabet and all the numerals at your disposal to label different areas of the classroom (like “Reading Corner”, “Math Zone”, or “Science Lab”).

⭐Educational – You can use the letter and number pennants so kids can learn to identify them, to form words, and practice their math skills!

⭐Motivational Messages – A little positivity is great to make those first-day-of-school jitters go away. A motivational banner like “You Can Do It!” or “Dream Big!” makes the perfect classroom decor.

⭐Birthdays and Classroom Parties – This banner is definitely not just for the start of the school. It’s actually great for special days like birthdays and classroom parties.

💬 Back To School Banner Message Ideas

Still not sure what to spell out with your banner? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

📌Classic

• “Welcome Back!”
• “First Day of [GRADE]”
• “Let’s Learn!”

📌Fun

• “School Rocks!”
• “Brainiacs Only”
• “Game On, School!”
• “Learning Adventure”

📌Motivational

• “Believe in Yourself”
• “Reach for the Stars”
• “You Are Amazing!”
• “Never Stop Learning”

📌Subject-Specific

• “Math Wizards”
• “Lab Legends”
• “Reading Rocks”
• “History Buffs”

And last but not least, don’t forget to have fun with this banner. Also, I’m sure the kids might have some great ideas on what to spell with it.

What are the ways you plan to use this banner? I’m always on the hunt for making the most of it so let me know in the comments section!