If you’ve ever been in charge of ordering shirts for a school — whether you’re a teacher, a PTA president, a booster club treasurer, or a coach who got “volun-told” — you already know the drill. Someone needs 80 shirts in six sizes, the design isn’t finalized, the deadline is in two weeks, and the parents paid in a mix of Venmo and checks. We get it. Schools are one of our largest customer groups, and we’ve helped hundreds of classrooms, sports teams, PTAs, and student councils turn chaos into a clean stack of shirts ready for pickup.
Here’s our honest guide to getting custom t-shirts done for your school — what to order, how to plan, and what to expect when you work with a local print shop like Shop Strange.
Why schools work with a local custom t-shirt shop
You can absolutely order custom shirts from one of the big online sites. But there’s a reason most schools we work with stopped doing that and came to us instead:
- You can actually talk to someone. When your principal suddenly wants to add a second color to the logo the day before production, a real person picks up the phone.
- Local pickup saves money and stress. No shipping fees, no lost boxes, no “the shirts are stuck in a warehouse in Ohio” emails the morning of field day.
- Design help is included. Most schools send us a rough idea and a school logo. We handle the rest.
- You’re supporting a local business. Every order stays in the Boise or Portland community.
We print for schools across the Treasure Valley (Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Kuna) and the Portland metro area (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Tigard), so chances are we’re already working with a school near yours.
The main types of custom t-shirts schools order
1. School spirit wear
These are your everyday school shirts — the ones kids wear on Spirit Fridays, at pep rallies, or on field trips. Spirit wear typically features the school mascot, school colors, and sometimes a tagline (“Home of the Wildcats”). Many schools run an annual spirit wear store so families can buy throughout the year.
2. Class and grade-level shirts
Field day shirts, fifth-grade camp shirts, kindergarten-graduation shirts, “Class of 2031” shirts — these are usually ordered once and often color-coded by grade. They make group management easier (especially for field trips) and become keepsakes parents hold onto for years.
3. Club and activity shirts
Drama, band, choir, NHS, robotics, chess club, student council, yearbook staff — every club wants its own shirt. These are usually smaller runs (15–40 shirts), which is where a local shop can be a lot more flexible than an online ordering site with high minimums.
4. Sports team apparel
This is a big one. We handle everything from actual game jerseys to warmup shirts, fan shirts for parents, senior-night shirts, and team hoodies. Booster clubs often combine a team order with a fan-apparel pre-sale to raise money at the same time.
5. Graduation and class shirts
Senior class shirts, 8th-grade promotion shirts, preschool “graduation” shirts — these are some of our favorite jobs because they mean something to the families involved. We recommend booking these at least 4–6 weeks before the event because graduation season (April–June) is our busiest time of year.
6. Fundraiser shirts
More on this below, but custom t-shirts are one of the most effective school fundraisers out there when priced and planned correctly.
7. Staff and volunteer shirts
Teacher shirts, field-trip chaperone shirts, carnival volunteer shirts, tournament staff — these small runs help identify the adults in charge and build team spirit among staff.
How school fundraiser t-shirts actually work
Custom shirts are a favorite fundraiser for PTAs and booster clubs because the margins can be excellent. Here’s how most of our successful school customers run them:
Do a pre-sale, not a buy-and-hope
Instead of ordering 200 shirts and praying they sell, collect orders and sizes first using a Google Form or PTA platform. Then submit one bulk order to us. This guarantees zero leftover inventory and lets you know your exact profit before we even start printing.
Price for margin, not just cost
A typical school fundraiser tee might cost $6–$9 per shirt at bulk quantities and sell to families for $15–$20. That’s $6–$14 profit per shirt going directly to your program. On 150 shirts, that’s $900–$2,100 raised.
Keep the design simple and wearable
The best-selling fundraiser shirts are ones kids and parents genuinely want to wear — not just the ones with the biggest logo. One- or two-color designs on a soft tee outsell busy five-color designs almost every time.
Combine with other products
Offer a shirt + sweatshirt + hat bundle, or add a water bottle or tote bag as an upsell. Our promotional products side of the business can pull from thousands of items to pair with your apparel.
Planning timeline: how early should you order?
This is the single most important thing we tell schools. Build in more time than you think you need.
- 3+ weeks before you need the shirts: Ideal. Standard turnaround with no stress. Design revisions are comfortable, and we can source the exact shirt style you want.
- 2 weeks out: Doable. Most orders still ship on time, but design changes need to happen quickly.
- Under a week: Rush. We can often still make it happen, but rush fees may apply and shirt-style options may be limited to what’s already in stock with our suppliers.
- Graduation / end of school year (April–June): Book 6+ weeks out. This is peak season for every print shop in the country, and blank-shirt inventory gets tight.
What we need from you to get started
When you reach out, having a few things ready will speed everything up:
- Estimated quantity (even a ballpark — “somewhere between 50 and 80” is fine).
- Size breakdown if you have it (youth vs adult matters a lot for pricing).
- Your design or a rough idea. A logo file, a Pinterest screenshot, or even a hand-drawn sketch — we can work with all of it. Our graphic design team can clean up or redraw as needed.
- Deadline. The date you need shirts in hand.
- Budget range. This helps us steer you to the right shirt style without wasting your time.
Popular shirt styles for schools
Not all t-shirts are created equal. For schools, we usually recommend one of these three categories depending on budget:
Budget-friendly (best for large runs and fundraisers)
Gildan 5000 and similar heavyweight cotton tees — durable, affordable, and available in every color imaginable. Great for field day, spirit weeks, and one-time events.
Soft and comfortable (best for everyday spirit wear)
Bella+Canvas 3001 and Next Level 3600 — noticeably softer, more fitted, and the shirt kids actually grab out of their drawer. Worth the small upcharge for senior shirts and booster-club apparel.
Performance / athletic (best for sports teams)
Moisture-wicking polyester shirts in a range of cuts. Essential for team warmups, cross-country tees, and PE staff.
Don’t forget: shirts aren’t the only option
A lot of schools start with t-shirts and then expand. Some of our most popular non-shirt school products:
- Hoodies and sweatshirts — the highest-margin item in any fundraiser.
- Embroidered hats and beanies — perfect for coaching staff and booster clubs. Check out our embroidery services.
- Water bottles and drinkware — great as reading-incentive prizes or team giveaways.
- Tote bags — teacher gifts, book-fair swag, and volunteer thank-yous.
- Spirit banners and signs — pep rallies, homecoming, and sporting events. See our displays.
Ready to start your school’s order?
Whether you’re outfitting a 600-student spirit assembly, printing 24 shirts for the chess club, or planning a fundraiser for the band program, we’d love to help. We work with schools, PTAs, booster clubs, coaches, and teachers every week and know how to make the process painless — even when you’re doing this on top of your actual job.
Reach out anytime:
- Boise: (208) 377-9063
- Portland: (503) 954-3478
- Or send us your project details here and we’ll get back to you with a quote.
We’ll take care of the rest. We got your back.
