Anybody total their yearly expenses for hs HS

[Ginevra]

I'm just curious.

[KarenC]

If I were forced to think about it, I would guess the total would be comparable to a private school education. I would include music lessons, orchestra, and sports in my total.

 

Karen

[QueenCat]

I'd be afraid to.... The once a week tutorial alone is around $1300/year. That's for 32 weeks, 5 classes (art, piano, chemistry, literature, and drama). Add in the other curriculum, field trips, etc., and the total would probably astound me....

[Janice H]

HSLDA membership about $90, books and lab stuff about $700, Japanese class about $700. Other years have been more expensive. So about $1,500. (Private music lessons not included.)

[bugs]

and including supplies such as paper and ink, science center memberships and field trips, in 2009 it was about $1400 for two kids.

 

My oldest will begin HS next year - I suspect it will be higher then.

[Bev in B'ville]

inspections, I have to present my "budget" and have it independently verified. (My banker looks over my excel spreadsheet with my receipts attached and then gives me a letter saying it all looks good to her. She doesn't charge me for this.)

 

I don't consider this a big deal as I was keeping track anyway. It's never been a problem and my inspector has never questioned it (knocking of wood now).:001_smile:

[Heather in AL]

but maybe I should!

 

I'm sort of afraid to know....

 

My ds, in 9th grade, is taking two internet classes.... one was (if memory serves) $420 for Eng9 writing and the other is running $538 + $80 for books for Latin. The rest, though balances it out to some degree.... history we are doing for $50 (World History text + TTC videos~~I'm dividing the cost of the DVDs between my two kids as I plan to use them for both dc), Biology is costing under $200 (text, labs, TTD videos), French is $25 (again, text divided by two for two dc), and Math ran an inexpensive $25.50 (Saxon Alg2). So, I guess a total of the above is just under $1350. Add to that the cost of prinitng French tests and the like, and my administrative costs of printing Latin tests, Eng papers written/graded, and it's probably more like $1500 for the year. I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, though.... (like the cost of the AG grammar, the price of which escapes my memory).

 

I didn't count music lessons ($120/month for piano/music theory and drums) because he would be doing that no matter where he was going to school. I also figure my $20 per month for band fees is WAY under the public/private school fees, so those aren't in the total above.

 

Cough cough. At least it's less than private school!! I figure it runs less than $300 a month for 9 months of school. Gulp! I wish those Bio labs were reusable!!

 

Next year is going to be worse, as we're counting on dual enrollment for a few classes, as well as (hopefully!) continuing with the Latin.

[Ginevra]

Thanks. I can understand what people mean when they say they don't really want to know. My kids are not HS age yet, but I'm still loathe to total in each and every thing. And some are a bit up-in-the-air, such as piano lessons - would we do those anyway?

[mom2paul]

Approx. $1,500 for next year, not including co-ops.

[Blue Hen]

This year, high school senior, was expensive. DS took three online classes and is finishing up his Industrial Arts project (building a sea kayak--the fiberglass alone cost $400). I would guess we've spent $2,500 on his online classes & materials this year. Last year was similiar for him.

 

Next year my youngest will be a 9th grader. We have most of the materials (books & lab supplies) on hand for his 9th grade although I might enroll him in an online class and would estimate the total expense at under $500.

 

Carole

[shamima]

Books - $$$

Supplies - $$$

Classes - $$$

Co-op - $$$

Trips - $$$

 

Education that I get to control - PRICELESS!:D

 

shamima

[Carol in Cal.]

Don't want to know.

De Nial -- It's not just a river in Egypt.

[StartingOver]

I have been down this road from start to finish 3 times, and starting all over again. I put $200 dollars a month in a savings account. Right now at these young ages I spend about $1000 a year, just because I love NEW BOOKS !! But later down the road in Middle and Highschool my costs will be about $2000-$2500 a year. So..... I will save the excess for that.

 

If both of these younger children go to PS ( Which I hope never happens ), I will reward my self with a dream car. ;-)

[Starr]

No, no, don't make me do it !

[jlovebaker]

and I bought paper, pens, scissors and all sorts of office supplies for them at the beginning of the year and a couple of times in between (sort of required). We also had field trips costs, PTA membership, book donations and faires, gala events (you could donate a lot or a none) with auctions (ouch for me), and a school festival. Not to mention my time and other parents' time ... So - ps is not free!

 

On top of that we had piano and sports so I'm not sure I'd include those in our homeschool budget. We do very few coop type activities so I don't have those expenses now. Office supplies and field trip costs are similiar.

 

Anyway, I spend probably more than I did at the ps but not much - maybe a few thousand (I've got three kids) - but nothing compared to a private school which in our area is 10K minimum and on up to 30K plus books/donations. So I always feel like I'm way under budget when I look at those tuitions!

[Kathy in Richmond]

I just totaled our expenses for our daughter's 12th grade year.

 

We spent roughly $900, which included outsourcing an epgy math class and a local art class. I'm not including dance or piano lessons, since those are extracurriculars that we'd probably still pay for if she were in a brick & mortar school. Also, I'm not including college application expenses (ouch!).

 

Fortunately, dd was able to use a few of her older brother's textbooks this year. That probably saved us a few hundred dollars more:001_smile:.

 

~Kathy

[Kareni]

When my now college freshman was in high school, we were fortunate that she was able to take classes at a publicly funded homeschooling resource center. Most classes there were free of charge (fees were charged for sports classes); however, we did need to buy AP texts and pay for AP exams. My daughter also took a number of classes at the local community college. Those we paid for (no free option in our state); we also paid for books for those classes. We also paid for all testing -- PSAT, SAT, SAT subject tests, AP, etc. We easily paid several thousand dollars in both 11th and 12th grades. Ninth and tenth grades were far less expensive (only one AP class/exam and no community college classes).

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ginevra]

Thanks, everybody. I keep mulling my options over in my mind. There is a part of me that really, really, really doesn't want dd to go to ps HS. But the private school is $9K/year. She is most likely college bound. The thought of doing a college prep schedule myself is totally overwelming. And I knew even before this post that that most likely means several thousands per year, although less than the private school. :svengo: The only thing that keeps me from totally freaking out is that dh probably will not agree to hs for HS, even if I could take a :chillpill: and calm down. But then I'm back to worrying about the things in PS that I don't like vs. paying a gazillion bucks for private. :glare:

[Carmen_and_Company]

Because we did several online classes, I spent roughly $1800 during 9th & 10th grades, but that decreased significantly when Taz began taking courses at MSU via the dual enrollment program his 11th 12th grade years.

[TravelingChris]

I think this year will end up being 270 for cc classes, approx. 150 for co-op classes and books, 500 for math materials, 150 for biology (not including the extra microscope dh bought), 600 for Spanish, and using library materials for English and History.

[In The Great White North]

Not counting what we would be paying for if they were in ps (paper, notebooks, pens, calculator, sports, music lessons), we spent a couple hundred for two high-schoolers (mostly on used college textbooks and science lab equipment & chemicals)

 

Ironically, we spend more on the middle-schooler this year - $575 for Rosetta Stone!

[charlotteb]

Wow, you guys are scaring me now! Is there anyone who does it cheaply who like to share their tricks? I certainly can't afford $1000 or more as dh and I are soon going into the mission field. DS is in 7th grade now, so we have about a year and a half before high school.

 

Thanks!

[Jane in NC]

Wow, you guys are scaring me now! Is there anyone who does it cheaply who like to share their tricks? I certainly can't afford $1000 or more as dh and I are soon going into the mission field. DS is in 7th grade now, so we have about a year and a half before high school.

 

Thanks!

 

High school expenses relate directly to several things: do you have an inexpensive co-operative near you? Is CC tuition free for dual enrollment? Do you have several children who will use the text or science kit?

 

College texts used in AP courses or in dual enrollment programs can cost an arm and a leg. If you are doing the course on your own, you can use an older edition--these are often go for a song when compared to the latest one.

 

If you follow TWTM for history and literature as we do, Spielvogel will work as your spine for four years. An older edition is just fine. Most of books on the reading list should be in your library. In my case, I have paid for a library card in another system that is better than my county system; I also have a university library card which is offered as a courtesy to residents for a small fee.

 

Does your library system have Teaching Company videos or CDs? Many of us find the Teaching Company materials to be of great value. Plan your courses so that you can purchase these lectures when they are on sale or borrow them from your library.

 

There is no way around some of the pricier purchases of high school (Math DVDs if your family needs them, a microscope, etc) But with clever planning, good fortune and full library utilization you can bring down the costs.

 

I had hesitated to post in this thread in part because there has been so much variability in our costs over the years. This year has been relatively inexpensive. My son took Chem II at the CC--he already had the text since he used it in Chem I the previous year. I was given a recent edition of the Larson Calculus text with student solution manual--and I am completely comfortable teaching this material. I found his AP Latin materials on sale in early summer for half price. Someone here on the boards led me to the Homeschool Cooperative discount on Thinkwell courses. (My son is doing their government course.) But the dollars added up in previous years, especially with some of his outside activities.

 

If I were you, I'd start high school planning now. Get the word out that you are looking for certain things.

 

Best,

Jane

[siloam]

Yep. It runs roughly $2500-3000 per year, but that includes some school supplies, art supplies and books that would have been bought either way. We just get to have more because we hs.

 

Heather

 

[Laurie4b]

I'm just curious.

 

I'm in the don't want to know category. Outside classes for one totaled around $1900. That doesn't count books--I'm guessing another $500. It also does not count lessons. It's a whole lot more expensive than when they were younger; on the other hand, you couldn't touch a private school education for that.

[In The Great White North]

Wow, you guys are scaring me now! Is there anyone who does it cheaply who like to share their tricks? I certainly can't afford $1000 or more as dh and I are soon going into the mission field. DS is in 7th grade now, so we have about a year and a half before high school.

 

 

Costs are directly related to outsourcing: the more you outsource the more it costs.

 

To cut costs to the utmost: buy used textbooks, teach/plan/grade it yourself, and supplement from the library. A good Internet connection helps too. (I have found numerous syllabi for high school and AP courses online that just needed minor tweaking, for free.)

[Willow]

Wow, you guys are scaring me now! Is there anyone who does it cheaply who like to share their tricks? I certainly can't afford $1000 or more as dh and I are soon going into the mission field. DS is in 7th grade now, so we have about a year and a half before high school.

 

Thanks!

 

 

This year (our school year runs Jan-Dec) so far I have spent less than NZ$100, I do not anticipate spending more than NZ$150. I think we HS well.

 

We are using Ambleside, many of the resources are online. I already have MUS through to Geom from the olders but MEP is free if necessary. We read online to save printing costs. If the book is not online, is expensive to buy and I do not already have it, I skip and substitute. I also carry a piece of paper with the Ambleside booklists so i can buy in 2nd hand bookshops and garage sales for the years ahead. I keep $20 in a special envelope in my purse so I can always grab a bargin without upsetting the budget.

 

I also have the best investment I have ever made, a book called Homeschool your Child for Free, by Lauramaery Gold and Joan Zielinski. This is full of things you only need an internet connection for, and you obviously have one of these! The BBC skillwise and bitesize websites are great, but there are so many others, you would be staggered.

 

yes, it is lovely to have homeschool specific curriculum, but it is perfectly possible to give your child a great education with just a Bible (or religious book of your own faith) plus a library card. Most of the great minds of the past had access to the classic books and not a lot more!

 

It may seem contrary to the way things are going in the homeschool world, but I rather think all the curriculum is getting in the way of education. We begin to belive that if only we have the right curriculum, the right co-op, the right outside class, everything will drop into place! If only! ;)

 

Sorry this has got long.

 

Willow.

[Jodi-FL]

we don't really have a choice. there are so many resources on the internet, and with a good library, it can be done for a minimal amount of money. (spent less than $500 for two high schoolers this year, including 2 co-op classes).

 

don't be intimidated. do some research for what's available in your area, know your child and their goals/interests and plan from there.

 

jodi

mom to 7

one graduate

two in high school

one in middle school

5th, 1st graders

4yo