Short answer: On a dress-down or theme day, students give a small amount, often $1, to wear a hat, pajamas, jeans or their own clothes instead of a uniform. It needs no supplies and raises money in a day. The risk is that children who didn't pay are easy to spot. The fair version lets every child dress up and makes the gift optional and private, collected in sealed envelopes by adults, not teachers calling out names.
Dress-down and theme days are the smallest fundraiser in school fundraising ideas, and one of the most common. A hat day or pajama day costs nothing to run, takes one notice home, and gives students a day they enjoy. It won't fund a playground, but it suits a single classroom need, a cause students choose, or a break between bigger asks. It also has a built-in fairness problem that most guides skip, and that problem is the main subject of this page.
Theme day ideas
| Day | What students do | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Hat day | Wear a hat or cap indoors | Many dress codes ban hats indoors; the principal must waive it for the day. No hoods. |
| Pajama day | Wear pajamas, often with a stuffed animal or a favorite book | Real shoes for recess, stairs and PE; nothing that drags on the floor |
| Dress-down or free-dress day | Wear their own clothes instead of a uniform | What "own clothes" allows; the normal dress code still applies |
| Jeans day | Wear jeans at a school or office with a dress standard | Mostly a staff fundraiser; see below |
| Crazy hair or crazy sock day | Wild hairstyles or mismatched socks | No sprays or dyes applied at school; nothing that blocks vision |
| Team jersey or school colors day | Wear a favorite team's jersey or school colors | Make sure plain colors count, so no one needs to buy a jersey |
One rule covers them all: children should be able to take part with what they already have at home. A theme that requires buying a costume or a jersey turns a $1 fundraiser into a much bigger cost for some families. If your group wants students in school colors regularly, a spirit wear sale is a separate decision with its own costs.
Staff jeans days
Some schools run a version for adults: staff pay for the right to wear jeans on set days, often by buying a pass for a month or a semester, with the money going to a staff-chosen cause or a family in need. It works because adults choose freely. Keep it voluntary, keep payment private, and don't let it become a way to collect from staff for things the budget should cover.
The fairness problem, and the fix
In the usual version, a student pays $1 and gets to wear pajamas. Every student who didn't pay is in regular clothes or a uniform all day, in front of the whole class. Children notice who stands out, and they draw conclusions. The children most likely to be left out are those whose families had no spare cash that morning, which is exactly the group a school least wants to embarrass. The fix is to separate the theme from the payment.
Pick at least one of these designs:
- Everyone dresses up; giving is optional. Announce the theme for the whole school and invite families to send a donation of any amount in a sealed envelope. Nobody checks who gave. This is the version we recommend.
- An item instead of cash. A can of food, a pair of new socks or a book for a drive counts the same as a dollar. Families who can't spare cash can often spare an item, and the drive helps the community. Keep "no item" fine too.
- A sponsor pays for the day. A local business or the parent group covers the whole school, and students write thank-you cards instead of paying.
- The class earns it. Students earn a pajama day together for reaching a participation goal in a bigger fundraiser (see below).
If you keep a pay-to-wear format, put quiet safeguards in place: a teacher or counselor can cover any student's dollar without comment, nobody announces names or keeps a list in view, and students who didn't pay are never sent to change or to the office. Schools where many families have little spare money should go further; the fair fundraising principles for Title I and low-income schools start from "every child takes part for free." Coin contests have the same issue, and the penny wars fairness options work on the same idea: count participation, not dollars.
What the rules say about paying for privileges
A few states address this directly, and they show why the fair version is also the safer one:
- California: Education Code section 49011 bars charging pupils fees to take part in educational activities. It allows voluntary donations and voluntary fundraising, but forbids offering course credit or privileges related to educational activities in exchange for money or donations, or removing them because a family didn't give. Whether a dress-down day counts as a privilege related to educational activities is a question for your district, but an everyone-wears day avoids it.
- Rhode Island: General Laws section 16-38-6 says public school officials and employees may not "solicit or exact from any pupil" contributions, and that approved fundraising must be conducted on a voluntary basis under school committee rules. In a state like this, a teacher collecting dollars from students for a hat day is the wrong model; the parent group collects from families instead.
These are summaries of two state laws, not legal advice. Ask your district how its fundraising policy and your state's law apply before you plan a paid theme day.
Most districts have their own fundraising policy, and many say how money may be collected from students and by whom. The guide to district fundraising approval explains how to find yours.
What to charge and what it raises
Most schools use $1 per student, or "$1 or whatever you can." Keep it small; the point is broad participation, not a big gift. Set expectations accordingly.
Example A school of 400 students holds a hat day with a $1 suggested donation. If 60% of students bring $1, the day raises 400 × 0.60 × $1 = $240. If the same school runs an everyone-wears day with an optional gift of any amount, and half of the students bring an average of $2, it raises 400 × 0.50 × $2 = $400, and every child wears a hat.
Example Thirty staff members each buy a $20 semester jeans pass: 30 × $20 = $600 for a staff-chosen cause.
Amounts like these suit a clear, small goal: books for one classroom library, a donation to a family after a house fire, or supplies for a class project. Tell families exactly what the day is for. For larger goals, a donation drive or a pledge event raises more with the same one-time ask; the guide to fundraisers that don't involve selling compares the options.
Running the day
- Get the principal's approval
Agree on the date, the theme, the cause, what the dress code allows that day and who collects money. One or two theme days a semester is plenty; more and they lose their pull.
- Send the note home a week ahead
Use the family note below, in the languages families read at home, and repeat it in the newsletter two days before.
- Collect in sealed envelopes
Families send money in a sealed envelope, or drop it in a locked box at drop-off staffed by parent volunteers. Envelopes go into one class bag, unopened, and the bag goes to the office.
- Count with two adults
Two parent group volunteers count every bag, record the totals by class, sign, and deposit the money in the group's account. The cash handling guide covers the routine, and the cash count sheet totals the count.
- Thank the whole school
Announce the total and what it buys, and thank everyone who took part. Don't rank classes by money raised.
Theme day class bag label
Tape to each class bag. Teachers add sealed envelopes without opening them. Two volunteers count and sign.
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Theme day and date | |
| Class or teacher | |
| Number of sealed envelopes received | |
| Items donated (cans, socks, books) | |
| Cash counted | |
| Checks counted (list payer and amount on back) | |
| Total for this class | |
| Counter 1: name and signature | |
| Counter 2: name and signature |
Family note to copy
Holiday pajama and hat days
A December "holiday pajamas and hat day" is a favorite for the last day before winter break, and it pairs naturally with a giving drive: bring a new hat, gloves, a book or a can for a local food pantry, or a dollar for a family the school is helping. Because the cause is outside the school, it also suits communities where families are wary of yet another ask for the school itself. Keep the theme open to winter pajamas and any hat, so it works for families of every background. The holiday fundraisers guide covers other December ideas and how to avoid stacking several asks in the same weeks.
Pajama day as a reward
A pajama day also works as a reward rather than a fundraiser in its own right: classes earn it for reaching a goal in a larger campaign, such as 80% of students returning a pledge envelope at any amount. That version costs nothing and includes every child in a class that earns it. The free incentives guide explains how to score classes fairly and set goals every class can reach, and the prizes and incentives guide covers the wider reward plan. Don't use the same theme as both a paid day and a reward in the same season; it confuses students about what earns it.
Sources
- California Education Code Section 49011 (pupil fees), California Legislature (via California.Public.Law) (accessed 2026-10-30)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-38-6: Commercial activity and fundraising, State of Rhode Island General Assembly (accessed 2026-10-30)
Frequently asked questions
How much should we charge for a hat day?
Most schools suggest $1, or "$1 or whatever you can." Keep it small, because the goal is for everyone to take part. A fairer option is to let every student wear a hat and invite an optional donation of any amount in a sealed envelope, which often raises as much or more because some families give more than the minimum.
Is it fair to make students pay to dress down?
Paying to dress differently makes it visible which children didn't pay, so it isn't fair as usually run. Let every child take part, make the gift optional and private, or accept an item such as a can of food instead of cash. California law bars giving or removing privileges related to educational activities based on whether a family donates, so check your state's and district's rules.
Should teachers collect the money?
It's better if they don't. Rhode Island, for example, bars public school employees from soliciting contributions from pupils, and many districts limit how staff handle fundraising money. Have families send sealed envelopes that go unopened into a class bag, or use a box at drop-off staffed by parent volunteers, and let two parent group volunteers count it.
What is a pajama day reward fundraiser?
It is a pajama day used as a prize: a class earns it by reaching a goal in a bigger fundraiser, usually a participation goal such as most students returning an envelope at any amount. It costs nothing, includes every child in the class, and works best saved for the final milestone so it still feels special.
How do we run a holiday pajamas and hat day?
Hold it on the last day before winter break, let every student wear pajamas and any hat, and pair it with an optional gift for an outside cause, such as a food pantry or a winter clothing drive. Send a family note a week ahead, ask for real shoes, and thank everyone who took part.