Back to School 2025

Backpacks, sharpened pencils, and notebooks are just a few back-to-school essentials, but there’s one more big back-to-school essential you may not know about – blood donation.

The local blood supply will get a boost as kids head back to school across the state this month. But why does the blood supply improve when school is in, and how important are students in the lifesaving mission to make transfusion possible?

The simple answer is… students are very important. Around 25% of all blood donations come from high school blood drives. That number is a little higher when factoring in donations from high schoolers at donor centers or mobile drives outside of school. So, when school is back in session, the local blood supply tends to improve.

For example, high school students donated nearly 46,000 blood components during the 2024-25 school year. This includes 26,596 first-time donors. It’s not an exaggeration to say our high schoolers save tens of thousands of lives each year, and every first-time donor represents an important donation in the present and a solid foundation for the blood donor base of the future. Their donations and the time they give to be blood donors are invaluable for local Texans in need of blood.

However, now that school is back in, that doesn’t mean there’s time to relax. Blood is always needed, and those who are 17 or older (16 with parental permission) can donate. High schoolers are making a lifesaving difference, but it takes all of us to maintain the blood supply.

To our high schoolers, we can’t wait to see you soon, and we’re wishing everyone a happy, healthy and successful 2025-26 school year. Welcome back to school!

If you are interested in learning more about our student programs, check out our Students page for more information →