23% of all public and private schools in the United States require their students to wear a uniform (Statistic Brain). Many schools struggle to have enough funding to keep going, so they start requiring students to wear uniforms. If the school purchased uniforms in large quantities, many companies would give them a discount. This would allow students' parents to spend less money on purchasing them without a discount from the company itself. This way, the school can raise money to help pay for some bills and expenses they may have. In contrast, many schools only have one supplier to purchase from and this can make it difficult for some students to find one that is right for them (Spencer). While purchasing through the school can lower the price, uniforms can still be quite expensive. The average annual cost for a standard school uniform (polo shirt, khaki pants and shoes) is $249. This can get quite expensive for the average middle class American family. However, the typical price of three uniforms is equal to the cost of one pair of designer jeans. Many families complain about how expensive school uniforms can become, but they don't take into account how much money they spend each year on school clothing for each of their children.