Seen a lot of great suggestions. I’ll pop one up if he likes tinkering and such and don’t wanna go the tool route, could always look at one of the many Ben Eater kits. It’s something DC based to play around with a goal in mind and personally found enjoyable
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I would say pretty much the same as some others did:
-An oscilloscope. ( I can’t help much with this because I’m really no expert, but I’d go for a real well know brand , not the small usb ones, the real deal like siglent, tektronix, rigol or keysight). About 3-400 USD for a good entry level one. I believe second hand units can be cheaper but I’m not sure I would trust a second hand unit for this kind of tool.
-A soldering station: I have a few of those, but the ones I use the most are the basic 936 soldering iron and the hot plate/hot air station 863:
The 863 does everything so it’s a very nice tool to have, but it’s a bit bigger than the 936 so it takes a bit of space on the desk. I suggest getting a long cable for the soldering iron if you can. I got a 2meters long one and it is surprizingly handy for those projects who don’t fit on the workbench.
-A small microscope: this is not a tool you use everyday but it’s really, really nice to have. Mine is very basic but it works quite well and it’s very cheap. Some more professional versions exist with many more features but this one is a good start:
-A multimeter. This is really the only tool that you 100% need. To be honest, any multimeter nowadays is able to accurately measure anything. But what matters most in my opinion on a multimeter is trust. If you can’t 100% trust your multimeter then it’s of pretty much no use. So in my opinion the way to go is Fluke. They aren’t very fancy, they don’t have many functions, they are expensive. But they are tough, reliable and you can trust that they’ll work.
-small hardware, like different diameters of solder wires, copper sponge, soldering tips, tweezers, etc.
-some small books of resistors, capacitors, inductors: I bought a few of them and they come very handy for some projects:
They include a wide range of commonly used components. That’s the kind of stuff that can save you from weeks of delays sometimes, pretty handy to have.
-a variable power supply. I have a few ones, I recommend getting one that offers the widest range of voltages and currents my favorite does 0-60V and 0-5A, constant current and constant voltage. Some are more fancy and can generate signals, but I’m not knowledgeable about these. I’d say go for whatever has the widest range and the most power as it will give you flexibility for your projects. There’s always some other ways to generate signals, like an oscilloscope for example.
In my opinion you can’t go wrong with giving your son as many tools as you can. Unfortunately my dad wasn’t at all into making stuff so we had zero tools and I had to buy everything myself, it made me lose many, many years. I basically started really doing DIY when I was in my thirties, because I didn’t have enough money to buy my own tools before that. That’s like 15 years “wasted” haha.
I’m not sure about the prices in your country. Here in China getting everything I mentionned in the list would be about 800-900 Usd. It’s barely more expensive than the new Playstation Pro, cheaper than an iphone16, it will last a whole lot longer and it will be way more beneficial to your son’s future 
Now, would you like to be my new dad? I need some more tools!
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I would consider getting him a really solid base to work at home, knowing he has the great tools at school for the 1-5% of projects that need something complicated.
So I would skip the hot air station, go with a pinecil (I have one too and I used it for my permanent holiday lights project).
I might also skip the oscilloscope. You can do a lot with a multimeter and when you really need a good scope, he can find one at school. The school will also maintain and “insure” them. So he won’t be bummed if his scope breaks for some reason. A small USB digital logic scope or a DIY oscilliscope kit might be a better fit. And it sounds like he will end up in a job where he can afford his lifetime scope later.
Some overlooked bits would be:
- Flush trim cutters. This is a rework tool as much as anything. Cutting up a big connector into manageable pieces before removing it makes it a lot easier than trying to heat up 24 pins at a time.
- Good wire strippers. Ideally down to 28AWG. The bigger stuff like 12AWG Romex is not needed.
- Variety pack of tweezers. My most used ones are inverted so you have to squeeze to open them. I don’t know what they are called.
- Lead free solder. The thinner stuff is way easier to use. This should last a long time: Kester 24-7068-7603 "275" No-Clean Lead-Free Wire Solder,.020" Diameter: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
- Solder sucker.
- Heat shrink tubing.
- Crimpers and a dupont variety pack.
- Xacto knife.
- A mat to put on the bench so he doesn’t destroy his parents furniture.
- A small screwdriver kit. I have a set of allen wrenches that I love. But an ifixit kit is probably a better choice in 2024.
- Panavise. This isn’t really needed, but it can be helpful. The off brand ones work fine and are an order of magnitude cheaper.
I don’t think you need a very fancy multimeter. But you have to go over the very cheap. I recently bought one of these and it has been good: AstroAI Multimeter Tester, TRMS 4000 Counts Volt Meter Auto-Ranging Ohmmeter Digital 1.5v/9v/12v Battery Voltage Tester Measure Voltage Current Resistance Diodes Continuity Capacitance with NCV: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement . I would get some new probes woth the very sharp tips. You can stab through insulation and probe wires in a working circuit (not very professional, but great for that time you need to): Micsoa Multimeter Test Leads Banana Plug, Digital Multimeter Probes Electrical Test Probe 20A 1000V: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
A benchtop power supply is useful. I would shoot for something on the small side. In the rare case a bigger one is needed, he has the school.
Maybe a tool box too. And a sharpie to put his phone number on everything so it doesnt go for a walk.
I think what you’re doing is excellent.
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