"School supplies" is the usual expression and includes pens, paper, textbooks and things that students need to help them with their studying.
"School things" is not an expression I have ever heard in use, but presumably it means "school supplies". It could mean a lot more depending on the context. For example, a school flag or T-shirt is a "school thing" but these aren't the sort of items that students need to help with their studies, which is the usual connotation of "school supplies".
So they are alike, but "school things" is much more general, I would say.