Families with children in grade school plan to spend nearly 7 percent more this year on school clothing, shoes and supplies, signaling growing confidence in the economy, the National Retail Federation said Thursday.

In the years since the recession, consumers have alternated between making do and stocking up with back-to-school shopping, the second-biggest sales season for many retailers. This year shoppers will spend more freely, the retail group said.

“This is a year of replenishment,” said Ellen Davis, the group's senior vice president of research and strategic initiatives. “We see this as a sign that families are maybe a little less worried about the state of economy than they were a year ago. [Retailers] are trying to get the consumer to focus again on shopping.”

Families with grade-school children plan to spend an average of nearly $674 for apparel, electronics and supplies, up from about $630 last year. College students and their families plan to spend an average $889, about even with last year's $899 average, according to the annual survey conducted for the group by Prosper Insights and Analytics.

Nearly three-quarters of shoppers surveyed said they were starting to shop about a month or two before the start of school, up from 62 percent last year, with many planning to spread out their budgets. More than half of shoppers plan to buy from discount stores, and a growing share of parents — 46 percent, compared with 36 percent last year — are shopping online.

lorraine.mirabella@baltsun.com