SCHOOL book lists are costing Southern Downs parents and arm and a leg and stopping kids from expressing themselves according to disgruntled parents.

Thousands of kids headed back to school today, many could be seen carting heavy loads of supplies in big boxes and over-filled bags.

While some breathe a sigh of relief that the holidays are over, parents from multiple schools around the district have complained about the expensive and highly prescriptive book lists that cost them upwards of $140 per child.

Allora parent Danii Howard said it was getting beyond reasonable.

"With three kids in school it cost me over $500, and that's just for the books,” Miss Howard said.

On top of that, she had to fork out for new uniforms, stationery, lunch boxes and various other school supplies.

Miss Howard said she understood that kids needed supplies but the schools were asking too much by specifying the particular brands of books and stationery that were required.

"Everyone wants the best for their child, but a pencil is a pencil and a pen is a pen,” she said.

Miss Howard was frustrated that a lot of the supplies didn't even get used.

"Last year my son came home with 5 scrapbooks that were unused as well as 4 lined textbooks and 3 basic exercise books. That would have amounted to at least $30 in books that were sent home,” she said.

Other parents have lashed out at book lists for different reasons.

Maryvale parent Amber Jade said making kids buy particular brands cloistered their self expression and took the fun out of school.

"The school my children go to doesn't ask for certain brands of school products but I do find it ridiculous that some do,” she said.

"I know so many kids who want fun school supplies from Smiggle and other stationery brands.

"There's so many fun products out there why do the kids have to be stuck with boring brand pencils and pens?

"Make school every bit as joyful as we can.

"I think these days everything is taken overboard and we all assume that things like "brands" result in bullying but I've never witnessed that myself and I don't think its something kids care about.”

White board markers.

What would you like - some of the stuff they are not utilising anyway and parents should be able to buy - theoretically how many books are they going to use.

They might get sent in with 20 HB pencils - how do you got through that many pencils.

A lot of the things aren't adding up.

My son came home with 5 scrapbooks that were unused and 4 lined textbooks that were unused and 3 basic exercise books - at least $30 books that were sent home that were unused that he had to have.

Even the little ones think it over the top.

It's gotten a lot worse, it's beyond a joke now, when it's people's wages. It's like $600 just to get the books for school and an average family can't afford that.

How do you budget all that in?

When they had the $800 school bonus took a huge financial stress off,

Changing uniforms - that's an extra cost.