The Biggest PTO Trends of 2025

This past year, PTOs didn’t just fundraise—they energized school communities, and even sparked viral moments along the way! PTOs met families where they already were (from car lines to Instagram), made teachers and principals the stars, and focused on experiences that engaged the whole school community. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest PTO trends we saw in 2025.

1. Coffee in the School Drop-off Line Fundraisers Became a Real Thing

In 2025, we all learned that if a PTO actually sells coffee in the school drop-off line, there are definitely a lot of interested customers.  After a silly "if PTOs sold coffee in the school drop-off line they'd be richer than Starbucks by Friday" meme went viral, PTOs everywhere realized it wasn't **that crazy** of an idea, and the car line quickly became prime fundraising real estate. After all, parents in the drop off line are captive in their cars, typically in desperate need of caffeine, and often happy to support something simple, like buying a cup of coffee for themselves (or a teacher) to support their school. And boom...just like that, a new fundraiser was born. 

@cfsknights ☕️ From idea ➡️ reality! Remember those TikToks about how PTA should sell iced coffee in the drop-off line? Well, we did it! 🙌 PTF had the BEST morning serving up vanilla + caramel iced coffees, and raising funds, to spoil our amazing teachers. ❤️🖤 Knights know how to start the day right! #icedcoffee #PTA #schoolfundraiser #coffeelovers #fundraiserideas ♬ original sound - CFS

2. Teachers and Staff as the Main Event (Literally)

From fundraising ideas like tattooing the teacher and "Pie a Teacher" on Pi Day to staff-based incentives, like teacher inflatable costume races and principals doing zany things (like camping out on the roof), PTOs worked in tandem with spirited staff members to create memorable fundraising experiences for students.

3. The Rise of the Small but Mighty Fundraiser

Instead of just doing one massive fundraiser, we saw many PTOs stacking lots of small, fast fundraising wins throughout the year. Popular micro-fundraisers included:

• Wrapping lockers in wrapping paper
• Stuffie (stuffed animal) sleepovers
• Holiday Grams (Boo Grams, Candy Grams, Cupid Grams and Sham Grams)/Candy Grams 
• Tattoo the teacher, using temporary tattoos 
• Custom Croc charms or water-bottle charms
• Turkey feather fundraiser 
• Snow cone days
• Dollar days 
• Human fruit slot machine at the fall festival
• Renting the school spirit rock or marquee for birthdays and shout-outs
• Adopt a duck for $2 on National Rubber Ducky Day (Jan. 13)
• Paid “calendar days” (donate the dollar amount of your date)

4. Athon Fundraisers Got Even More Creative 

Fun runs are nothing new, but they evolved into full-blown experiences. Top athon trends:

• Glow runs and dance-a-thons
• Bubble runs
• Obstacle-course and “Ninja Warrior” style events
• Kindness athons 

5. Door Dudes, High Five Fridays, and the Power of Parents Showing Up

One of the most meaningful PTO trends wasn’t a fundraiser or a big event—it was simply parents and mentors being present. Arrival-time school traditions like Door Dudes, High Five Fridays and playing music at drop-off gave PTOs an easy, visible way to welcome students, boost morale, and set a positive tone for the day. 

These ideas required short time commitments, too, making them an easy entry point for new volunteers—especially male caregivers who hadn’t previously found a way to get involved (according to a recent PTO Today survey, 74% of PTO leaders said that males are the most underrepresented among school volunteers). Door Dudes and High Five Fridays proved that showing up can be just as impactful as any big initiative. 

6. Stuffie Sleepovers

The "Stuffed Animal Sleepover" continued to trend, and for good reason. Families pay to leave their students' stuffies at school overnight, while PTO volunteers staged endless funny scenes, like stuffies reading in the library, riding scooters in the hallway, wreaking havoc in the principal's office, making photocopies, or getting "caught” eating all the snacks in the teacher’s lounge.

7. Nostalgia Made a Comeback (Again) 

PTO leaders love a good theme, and generational themes show up every year across schools, from adult prom nights featuring ’80s, ’90s, or early-2000s themes to a full-on 90sTeacher Appreciation Week (and even the 90th day of school).

8. Penny Wars Still Reigned

With the longtime penny winding down as new minting ends, coin-based fundraising competitions (like penny wars and coin wars) with grade-level challenges continued to trend, featuring viral pop culture themes, like K-Pop, Mario Cart, and Wicked.

9. School Spirit Wear Expands to Trendy Merch

Classic school spirit wear merch, like shirts, will always be a go-to for PTOs, but this year, parent groups also leaned into school-branded swag, like:

• Water bottle stickers
• Croc Charms (Jibbitz style)
• Cheer hair bows
• Scrunchies and athletic headbands
• Trucker hats
• Pajama pants 
• Blankets
• Socks
• Limited-run themed shirts tied to specific events

10. School Milestones Meet Meme Culture

Why celebrate the 100th day of school when you can celebrate the 67th? When the 67 meme exploded, PTOs ran with the viral trend and introduced the idea of celebrating the 67th day of school. This idea was well-received by students (who likely cringed a bit at first, but then secretly loved it). Admittedly, staff either loved it or hated it, but it was definitely one for the memory books (and yearbooks!).

11. Celebrating Every Day: Treat Days and Fun National Holidays Turn Into Community Moments

In 2025, PTOs proved you don’t need a big event to make a big impact or shift school culture. Small celebrations built around fun national holidays and surprise treat days—think BYOB (Banana) for banana splits on National Banana Day, a coffee cart on National Coffee Day, moon pies on full moon days, and hiding miniature ducks around the school on National Rubber Ducky Day—transformed everyday school days into small moments of joy for students and staff.  

12. Easy, Feel-Good Staff Morale Boosters That Quietly Took Off

Some of the most effective staff morale ideas were the ones designed to be kept low-key. Trends like Underground Spirit Week (fun themed dress-up days for staff only - like "Dress Like a Student Day") and no-stress games, like “in my pocket” teacher challenges, brought the laughter and connection without adding pressure. What made these morale boosters trend was how easy they were to execute - and how often we were seeing them play out in real time on TikTok and other social platforms. We also saw orange Crush soda take the spotlight with "Orange you glad (we crushed the first month of school)" orange float bars. These moments went a long way in lifting spirits and required little planning and no budget.

13. Principals Stepped Into the Spotlight 

School principals continued to evolve beyond "just an administrator", becoming instrumental in building positive school culture alongside PTOs. From participating in fundraisers and spirit days to starring in social media videos, principals helped humanize school leadership and brought school communities closer together. We learned that when principals join in, participation follows. PTO leaders noted higher engagement in events and fundraisers, stronger buy-in from families, and a shared sense that school culture improves when leadership and parent groups work together.

14. PTOs Continue to Embrace AI and Tech Tools

PTOs got more comfortable using digital tools and AI, like Canva and ChatGPT, to save time, streamline communication, and make their events and fundraising efforts more polished. ChatGPT became a go-to for writing social captions and volunteer recruitment posts using Gen Alpha slang...and even creating AI action figures of PTO board members (perhaps our favorite trend of 2025)!

15. Prioritizing the Well-Being of Teachers and Students

PTOs focused on supporting teacher well-being in creative, low-lift ways, and worked in tandem with their school principals. Trends we saw included "the gift of time", GOOSED (Get Out of School Early Day), teacher wellness bars stocked with self-care items, appreciation stations featuring notes of gratitude from students, and teacher card share stations for teachers to write cards to their peers. These small gestures helped staff recharge, boosted morale, and create a more positive school culture.

@ptotoday Get our FREE #teacherappreciation coupon book at PTOtoday.com/trending #ptolife #ptopresident #ptapresident ♬ original sound - PTOToday ✨ School Family Media

PTOs also prioritized student mental health. Popular initiatives included creating Zen Zones for quiet reflection, lunch/recess buddy programs, “Conversation Carts” to spark hallway engagement, kindness walls, positivity boards and encouragement on student lockers. Initiatives like "No Phones/New Friends Friday" and High Five Fridays encouraged connection, helping students feel part of a positive school community. 

16. Gratitude Took Center Stage

In 2025, schools made gratitude a yearlong mindset. Across communities, small acts of gratitude became big ways to build connection and school spirit. One of the most inspiring trends was the gratitude mic—a simple “Tell Me Something Good” station set up with a microphone in the hallway where students could share positive moments out loud.

PTOs also brought gratitude into everyday spaces with appreciation stations and teacher card share stations where students and colleagues could write notes of thanks.

17. The Concept of Micro-Volunteering Gets More Parents Involved 

With more parents working multiple jobs, volunteering continues to take a hit across schools. But, fun and practical volunteer "menus" emerged as a powerful way for PTOs to market small but mighty opportunities for parents to volunteer from home (or at school) on their own terms, making it possible for everyone to pitch in a little.

18. Big Ticket Investments PTOs Funded in 2025

Many PTOs made it clear that they were "fundraising with purpose" by investing in projects that improve daily school life and leave a lasting legacy beyond a single event or school year. We saw PTOs fundraising to support projects like:

• Playground upgrades and outdoor spaces: new playground structures, inclusive playground equipment, sun shades, turf areas, sensory paths, rock climbing wall, picnic tables, and buddy benches  
• Recess items, like tetherball, recess carts stocked with balls, jump ropes and other recess games, stenciled blacktops, indoor recess kits 
• Tech to help close technology gaps, like classroom STEM tools, robotics kits, 3D printers and maker space equipment 
• Literacy investments, like book vending machines that reward students with free books for good grades or positive behavior
• Field trips and enrichment experiences: transportation costs, assemblies, guest speakers, cultural programs, musical instruments
• School campus upgrades, like water bottle refill stations, security window film, classroom cruiser bikes, flexible classroom seating, buddy benches, painted murals, sensory paths, murals, electronic car rider system, and electronic signage  
• Staff spaces and enhancements: teacher lounge upgrades, ice maker/ice machine, outdoor teacher patios, and staff wellness carts 
• Event-quality upgrades: large-scale rentals and equipment purchases, like inflatables, Foam Daddy cannon, 360 photo booth, sound systems, and movie screens
• Care closets: PTOs increasingly funded care closets stocked with clothing, hygiene items, and shelf-stable foods