Going back to school calls for new school supplies, and that includes new notebooks! Investing in a good-quality notebook can help you stay on top of your schoolwork. Whether you’re writing big ideas or small reminders, notebooks are a great way to keep your notes. There’s nothing like writing down notes in analog form; it makes us remember notes and information better.
Start the school year with a good-quality notebook! You can start your search with the top 10 list we’ve rounded up for you. Right on top of the list is Five Stars' Advance Spiral Notebook. It is a college-ruled multi-subject notebook that features helpful features like a pen loop, label, and dividers. Check out the rest of our top 10 list for the notebook for you, and go through the buying guide for more tips and information.
Quick List - Top School Notebooks
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Kick off the school year with a high-quality notebook! When choosing the right school notebook for you, keep in mind the notebook’s size, binding, paper style, and other helpful features.
When picking out the school notebook for you, you want to pick one that is easy to bring and fits well in your school bag. A standard-sized notebook is letter-sized, or eight and a half by 11 inches. A legal-sized one, at eight and a half by 14, is also spacious enough for lots of note-taking, but may be hard to fit in a smaller backpack.
You can go a bit smaller with a B5 notebook, which is about seven by 10 inches. If you’re not big on note-taking or use it more for reminders, you can opt for a pocket-sized notebook that you can easily throw in your bag.
Look for a binding style that is easy to use, durable, and will allow pages to lie flat when you’re writing on them. There are notebooks with pages sewn, glued, or stapled together.
Stapled notebooks are usually thin and light. Glued notebooks are also durable; however, there can be pages accidentally glued together. Or, you can opt for sewn notebooks that will last you a long time without having to worry about pages falling out. Plus, these notebooks generally lie flat.
There's also the classic spiral-bound notebook, which is easy to open and will allow you to focus on one page at a time by folding it over. These work well when used in smaller spaces like a small desk or on the bus.
Another advantage to spiral-bound notebooks is that you can easily tear off a page if you make a mistake. Plus, these notebooks lie flat.
However, they can get caught together if you stack them in your bag because their spirals may interlock. Also, there's the issue of messy leftover paper strips after tearing off pages; to avoid that, look for ones with perforated paper.
When it comes to the type of paper, you can choose between lined, dotted, grid, or blank notebooks. For simple note-taking, you can go for the most common line-spaced notebook with a narrow or college rule.
For subjects like math or science that require you to draw pictures, diagrams, and graphs, you can opt for dotted or grid notebooks that will give you guidelines when making these graphs and diagrams. These are useful for keeping calculations lined up. And, if you don’t want any constraints, go for a blank notebook.
It would also be smart to consider multi-subject or refillable notebooks. A multi-subject notebook will allow you to keep all your notes in one notebook. With this, you won’t have to worry about forgetting a notebook at home.
This type of notebook usually comes with divider tabs that will help you find and identify the page for a specific subject quickly. You can also buy notebooks that you can keep refilling when you run out of pages to write on.
To help you keep your school notebook organized, you should look out for other helpful features like an expandable pocket, tabs, bookmarks, or a pen holder.
An expandable pocket folder will allow you to keep loose-leaf papers and other materials organized correctly in your notebook. Some notebooks come with dividing tabs, making it easier to leaf through the notebook.
Some notebooks also come with bookmarks that will allow you to mark a specific page or help you remember your place after writing. Lastly, keep an eye out for a pen holder that can hold your go-to utensil for writing. This will make it easy to pull out your pen or pencil and start taking down notes in class.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mead Five Star Advance Spiral Notebook | ![]() | A Convenient Multi-Subject Notebook | |
2 | Rettacy College Ruled Composition Notebooks|2 pack | ![]() | College-Ruled Notebooks With Leather Covers | |
3 | Mead Composition Notebooks|12 pack | ![]() | Classic Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook | |
4 | Kokuyo Campus Notebooks|5 pack | ![]() | Lightweight Notebook With High Quality Paper | |
5 | Leuchtturm1917 Dotted Hardcover Notebook | ![]() | Small Notebook With Numbered Pages | |
6 | Muji Planting Tree Paper Notebook|5 pack | ![]() | Thin Notebooks With Smooth Lined Paper | |
7 | Talia Discbound Notebook | ![]() | Customizable Notebook With Sturdy Cover | |
8 | Aisbugur Pocket Notebook Small Notebook|3 pack | ![]() | A Handy Pocket-Sized Notebook | |
9 | Hulytraat Hardcover Graph Ruled Spiral Notebook | ![]() | Small Graph Paper Notebook | |
10 | Oxford 1-Subject Notebooks|6 pack | ![]() | A Notebook for Every Subject |
If you want to keep all your notes in one notebook, go for this convenient multi-subject notebook. It includes five movable dividers with pockets that you can see through the cover, making organizing your notes per subject easier.
The notebook also has perforated, three-hole-punched pages, a pen holder, a label on the spine, and a spiral guard that makes it easier for you to hold and transport your notebook. You can get the notebook in five other colors.
A few reviewers complained that the paper is thin. On a positive note, the large majority said that this notebook is a must-have for every student. They loved that it helped them stay organized and that the paper was smooth and had minimal ghosting.
These college-ruled notebooks have 204 numbered pages. The sheets are thick, with a weight of 100 GSM, and are acid-free too. Each notebook has a soft and durable polyurethane leather cover, an elastic closure, two bookmarks, a back pocket, and extra sticky notes.
Although a couple of reviewers noted that it came with a weird smell, many loved how the notebook has a table of contents page and numbered pages. They said that these made it easier for them to look for notes. Additionally, they also liked the soft leather cover and smooth and glossy paper the notebook has.
This pack of 12 marbled composition notebooks will last you throughout the school year. These notebooks have 100 sheets each with wide-ruled lines that are great if you have bigger handwriting and if you need more space.
The pages are sewn together, making them durable and allowing you to lay them flat. On the inside front page, you can find a place for your class schedule, while at the back, there are multiplication tables, conversion tables, and grammar rules.
According to a few buyers, the notebooks' covers were too thin and flimsy for their liking. On the other hand, many said the paper was smooth, ink didn't bleed through, and the notebooks' binding made them more sturdy.
These made-in-Japan notebooks are lightweight, and great if you don't need many pages. Each of the notebooks has 30 sheets of paper that have dotted lines that are six millimeters apart.
The notebooks have soft paper covers and glued bindings, making them less bulky. Plus, they come in different colors that will allow you to easily differentiate between subjects.
A few buyers commented that they were flimsy if you take notes with your notebook on your lap or while standing. But many others thought the pages were thick and smooth. They also liked that the notebooks were thin, making them light and easy to bring around.
This A5 notebook features dotted and numbered pages. The notebook comes with 125 sheets of acid-free, 80 GSM paper. It also has a hardbound cover that is durable but soft to the touch.
The notebook has a sewn binding, making it strong and allowing you to open it flat. Not only that, but it comes with an elastic closure, an expandable folder at the back, bookmarks, and stickers for labeling, too!
Most of the critical reviews on the notebook were about how thin the paper was and that thicker pens and markers ghosted and bled through it. Many, however, said that the notebook was handy and portable. They also loved that the notebook's cover was durable and that the notebook could lie flat.
These notebooks from Muji are thin and light, making them easy to transport from class to class. Each notebook features a colored spine for easy identification. They come with 30 pages of six-millimeter-lined paper and have a sewn binding, allowing you to write more comfortably.
However, some reviewers warned that some fountain pens and gel pens don't work well with the paper; they bleed, skip, or feather. Meanwhile, many liked the quality and smooth finish of the paper. They also found the notebooks convenient to bring around because they were thin and light.
This notebook from Talia is entirely customizable and refillable. It comes with five subject tabs, calendar pages, and one clear storage pocket that you can reposition and adjust. You can change the notebook's cover or buy a larger ring for more pages and dividers.
It also comes with a sturdy cover made of polypropylene, 100 sheets of lined paper, 27 sheets of stickers, and one set of one-inch discs that can hold up to 150 sheets of paper.
A few reviewers found it hard to put together. The disc system may take some getting used to. Meanwhile, many were happy about how they can completely customize the notebook. They also loved how the dividers and pockets helped keep them organized.
If you're not big into note-taking and if you only jot down keywords or reminders, these pocket-sized notebooks are the ones for you. These compact and handy notebooks come with 96 sheets of paper, an elastic closure, a pen loop, expandable pockets, and bookmarks.
According to a few reviewers, the notebooks' binding broke quickly. Meanwhile, many loved the notebooks' size and how handy and portable they were. They also praised the thickness of the paper and how they saw minimal ghosting and bleeding.
This graph paper notebook is excellent for subjects like math or science that require you to draw graphs and diagrams or keep equations lined up. The notebook comes with 80 sheets of paper with half-centimeter square grids.
The notebook has a transparent hardcover and an elastic closure that will protect your notes. Plus, the notebook's spiral binding will allow you to write more comfortably as it lies flat on the desk.
A few unhappy reviewers said the elastic was missing. Still, many of them loved how simple and minimalist the notebook looked. They also said the notebooks' paper was smooth and thick, and the cover was sturdy and durable.
These notebooks have 70 college-ruled sheets each. They come in different colors, allowing you to color-code subjects, and the notebooks' pages are also perforated, making it easy for you to tear out a page neatly. Plus, they have a no-snag coil that will prevent them from sticking to each other when in your bag.
A handful of reviewers found the notebooks too flimsy, and the perforations did not work as advertised. Nevertheless, the vast majority loved that the notebooks came in different colors and that the paper was easy to write on.
Getting ready to go back to school can get stressful. Here are some things that can help you have a great school year ahead.
No. 1: Mead|Five Star Advance Spiral Notebook
No. 2: Rettacy|College Ruled Composition Notebooks|2 pack
No. 3: Mead|Composition Notebooks|12 pack
No. 4: Kokuyo|Campus Notebooks|5 pack
No. 5: Leuchtturm1917|Dotted Hardcover Notebook
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