How much did you spend on homeschool curricula this year?

[IfIOnly]

I read somewhere today the average amount families spend to homeschool annually is $900 per child and have a hard time believing that number!  I spent less than $900 (but not by much) in total this year for 4 children. Maybe that figure includes sports, art and music lessons, etc. too?

 

 I'm curious, how much does the Hive spend each year for just curricula costs, including co-ops, online classes, etc. if they're academic rather than elective in nature?

 

 

 

 

[Aiden]

When you say "just curricula," do you really mean just curricula, or are you including supplies (art supplies needed for the curriculum or for history projects, books required or recommended by the curricula, etc)? I have a pretty good handle on my overall expenses, but not on "just curricula." I also probably spend an heckuva lot more than many homeschoolers because the library isn't an option here--if we're going to read a book, we have to buy it, and I like living books. If those expenses don't count toward the total you're looking for, my total will be a lot lower. (I haven't voted yet.)

[IfIOnly]

When you say "just curricula," do you really mean just curricula, or are you including supplies (art supplies needed for the curriculum or for history projects, books required or recommended by the curricula, etc)? I have a pretty good handle on my overall expenses, but not on "just curricula." I also probably spend an heckuva lot more than many homeschoolers because the library isn't an option here--if we're going to read a book, we have to buy it, and I like living books. If those expenses don't count toward the total you're looking for, my total will be a lot lower. (I haven't voted yet.)

 

Yes, all those things could factor in. I was mostly thinking of dance classes, sports, martial arts, music lessons, etc., things that are considered electives in public school or after school activities.

[foxbridgeacademy]

If we don't count the YMCA membership (PE for credit) then I spent around $250-$300 for just curricula, that's for 2 kids 1 in H.S.  The really nice thing is that I'm really good at DIYing coursework with low cost books, online material, and such. I also combine both kids on as much as I can.

 

 We have a free membership to TGC Plus right now but the $250 includes buying the DVD courses we are using currently (then I'll resell to buy the next one).

I found WWS student and Teachers for $15 total, practically new.

I purchased a couple ipad textbooks that are new editions but cost only $15 each.

 

I'll probably spend another $50-$100 on math over the next year but otherwise I'm pretty set.

 

 

[abba12]

I think $900 for the FIRST child is pretty correct for me, if we are including literature and supplies. However the vast majority of our curriculum is non consumable, or I do it verbally. We aren't really the jumping around to different programs for different children type either. So subsequent children are more like $150, most of which is supplies, fresh literature and a couple of workbooks

[LMD]

I don't know, I just spent a couple of hundred last week and we school Jan-Dec... *blush*

[MeaganS]

I just looked at my You Need a Budget for homeschooling and it is a bit over $900. That includes co-op fees for all the girls, curricula, audio books, and other books and materials I would likely not otherwise buy. The co-op fees pushed it up. Otherwise I'd be below $500.

[Aiden]

I voted based on what I estimate I'll have spent by the end of the year. I've bought all the curricula, all the supplies needed for the art curriculum, and the books I need for the first half of the year for history and literature (plus a few that I'll use later in the year). I'll probably still spend a good bit more on literature and history books, though, since I buy those a few weeks at a time.

 

Of course, if we don't slow down on the math and language arts curricula, I'll be buying more of that too. My daughter is mastering the material faster than expected, so if she doesn't slow down, we'll end up spending another $200 or so on more curricula--I plan to keep doing it over the summer, but slowly (2-3 days/week instead of 5) to minimize the summer brain drain.

[Luckymama]

One high school student taking a university foreign language class, $1900 per semester, plus an online English class, Derek Owens AP calculus...

 

On the bright side, all her other classes just require a lot of my time, inexpensive used textbooks (with one exception), and AP/SAT subject test fees.

[Desert Strawberry]

I homeschool on the cheap. I might be an outlier.

I have spent $0 on curriculum so far, will likely spend less than$100 this year.

I think I've spent about $30 on supplies.

We have spent$15 on extra curriculars. We are doing them, but most are free.

 

 

[regentrude]

There have been several threads on the General Board recently that discussed homeschool cost in detail, one for elementary, and one for older students.

I spend under $100 this year for my high school junior's core subjects. Now, extracurriculars is a different matter... but I'd have the same expenses if he attended ps.

[Runningmom80]

I just looked at my YNAB, and I've spent $1476 in 2015.  This includes all art supplies, literature, home school classes, museum memberships, as well as the Project-Based homeschooling class I took and other misc "teaching supplements." This does not include extra curriculars, which I will not at this point look up, because it will probably make me cry.

 

This is for one child, but I just realized it doesn't count what I sold, so I'm guessing it's closer to 1200, which is still a ton. Hopefully when I add 2 more kids to the mix it won't go up $2,000. (Although it's still a deal compared to the private Montessori tuition X 2.)

 

 

ETA: Curricula is prob about $700, because it includes an online class for $220.

[HomeAgain]

I can totally see the $900 average easily.  When my oldest was young, I was buying everything "new" to build our library.  We didn't have good public libraries.  I was trying out different curricula to find my grounding.  There wasn't a whole lot being reused year to year.  My budget each year was $1000.

 

Fast forward 10 years.  I spent $107 so far this year.  I'm able to take what is out there for cheap or free and work it to my advantage because I know what I want.  I can use a 5-cent spelling book from 1977 just as easily and as well as a spelling program developed for homeschool use.  I'm not reusing a lot from 10 years ago, but we have a great city library and bookshelves at home with well-loved fiction and non-fiction.  We have plenty of toys and tools to adapt for years of schooling instead of purchasing kits each year.

[Runningmom80]

I can totally see the $900 average easily.  When my oldest was young, I was buying everything "new" to build our library.  We didn't have good public libraries.  I was trying out different curricula to find my grounding.  There wasn't a whole lot being reused year to year.  My budget each year was $1000.

 

Fast forward 10 years.  I spent $107 so far this year.  I'm able to take what is out there for cheap or free and work it to my advantage because I know what I want.  I can use a 5-cent spelling book from 1977 just as easily and as well as a spelling program developed for homeschool use.  I'm not reusing a lot from 10 years ago, but we have a great city library and bookshelves at home with well-loved fiction and non-fiction.  We have plenty of toys and tools to adapt for years of schooling instead of purchasing kits each year.

 

I'm telling myself that this will be the case for me.  Let's hope I'm right!

[Jackie]

You might be interested in this thread from last month: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/564643-how-much-do-you-spend-homeschooling-part-1-of-2-elementary-only/

 

There was a similar one for older kids, too.

[eternallytired]

Is this per kid or total?  I voted my total, which is about $500 in materials for the year, for two elementary students and a preschooler.  Thankfully, I have quite a bit that will be reused once my oldest is done with it.

[happypamama]

In one of the other threads, I wrote it all out, and I think it came to about $700, which includes all books, supplies, etc. ($90 of that is just for testing and evaluation fees required by my state; two need testing this year, but none will need it next year, although I'll have a third evaluation.). That's for four children. Probably $400 of it is for books and curricula. Does not include martial arts classes or occasional field trips. I am very good at deal, though; I use FAR more than $400 worth of books and curricula and could never afford all of it without some serious effort in deals. I think the only thing I bought brand new at full price was Singapore math for my second child.

[KarenNC]

It's so variable depending on age and availability of resources. I'm actually spending less this year for 10th grade than in younger grades, and will likely spend more next year (fees and books for dual enrollment even though tuition is free). We have access to more free options through the local high school and we're not doing co-op classes this year.

 

Math-- about $25 for text used and free full online class with teacher

English---free online class with teacher support, $10 for some used novels (some from library), possibly $100 for college composition CLEP at end, $5 for used CLEP prep book

Science--$40 for secondhand microchem kit (normally $130+), free online class with teacher support

Latin---free full online class (level 2 fall and level 3 spring) with teacher

American history---free online class with teacher support, possibly $100 for Am hist 2 CLEP at end, $5 for used CLEP prep book

Elective---intro to social science--free edX class, free Coursera class, possibly $100 each for psych and sociology CLEP tests at end, $10 for used CLEP prep books

Elective---cultures through world lit--free Great Courses class (beta testing), texts online or through various used books (maybe a total of $30 overall)

 

About $60 for ACT, which serves as both yearly testing and college entrance exam.

 

The full classes are fully taught and graded by a teacher, the ones with teacher support have a combo of my grading, computer grading, and teacher feedback or assistance if needed. Other classes I do all grading.

 

Extracurriculars do add up---$40 a month for aikido, $10 a month for kickboxing, $12 a year for Girl Scouts membership and probably $150 over the year for camping trips/activities/buying cookies (over and above the things the troop covers through fundraising). This doesn't include the gas and wear and tear on the car for driving (a lot) to martial arts, field trips, and other activities. It also doesn't include summer camp.

 

So my cheap year leveraging free classes and all used very cheap materials is still going to run in the neighborhood of  $500 for curricula/tests, about $750 for extracurriculars for a total of about $1200. Without the testing, it would drop substantially. I still count it as a cheap year since I'm not having to pay $300-$600 per class for instruction in addition to books for some of these classes that I would have wanted to outsource (foreign language, writing, science). With one child, spreading the cost of materials out over several kids isn't an option.

[emzhengjiu]

My daughters are both in high school. This year, I'll be spending about $1300 to include French at the Potter's School for one girl and Japanese at a local co-op for the other. My older daughter is taking dual credit class at our local community college. The tuition is free, but the texts and supplies are not! Most of the texts must be purchased new because of the required access codes. It's painful, but I consider it a long-term investment in my daughters' futures. My older daughter would take French at the CC,but their French classes are not very good.

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited August 31, 2023 by SilverMoon

[Pen]

one child--more than $2000, not including optional special (expensive!) extracurricular sport:

 

required end of year standardized test fees--approx. $100 (must be given by independent proctor), not needed yearly just to homeschool, but is required yearly for sports participation

audible membership: ? around $100, I think???  it is an annual membership that gives 12 credits, plus some extra titles are bought with whispersync, or on sales where cost is less to get them for money price than for a credit, guesstimate another $70.

A couple, few Great Courses, only when on sale, but still around $200 total

Netflix membership, whatever the top level DVD version is.

Co-op $250 for just the first term right now.  

If ds takes another 2 or 3 classes per term, that will end up being around $750-850 for the academic year.

Books, pencils, notebooks, supplies-- depends on what books etc. are needed -- this year we already had a lot of what we needed, so I'd say less than $100 new items for this year probably.  (eta other years and when getting set up with things like art supplies, globe, atlas, etc. this was more expensive)

Possible outside, online class later in the year TBD

Public library membership: approx. $50 per year at closest rural library.      If we get it in city, then approx. $200 per year, I believe (we are not within any library's jurisdiction and have to pay outsider rates at whichever we choose).

 

Satellite internet that might allow an online class later in the year, probably around $70 per month.  Hence approx $840 for the year--homeschool is what is driving our possibly getting it, so I am including it as a cost. I am currently playing phone tag with installers.

[eta there are wonderful "free" things for education like Duolingo, KhanAcademy, NASA materials, and so on and so forth available online, but only if one has a fast enough connection, which our dial-up is not]

 

 

 

Not included in above: My ds took up ice skating which is an expensive sport here (maybe not if one had a frozen pond nearby). Approx. $11 per session ice time. $29 per half hour lesson, approx $150 per 10 weeks of group lessons... plus skates, skate sharpening...

 

 

 

YIKES!  I am not sure I am glad you asked!

 

 

 

 

[Peaceful Isle]

Well, around $900/$999 per kid would be right for my older two for "just" their homeschool books and lessons. My youngers are much less. Now, I spend money monthly for music lessons, homeschool activities, etc..

[freesia]

We are at around 3200 for 4. However, the vast majority goes to ds 14's online classes and high school curriculum and Home Life tuition. I spent almost nothing on dd6.

[Syllieann]

I think we are at $600 per yr for 2, well actually 1 with the younger reusing. So for us it is more like $600 for the first child and then much smaller after. Our most expensive thing right now is the ymca gym class, which is around $300 per year. I didn't include that though because our local ps has scant gym time so I would be enrolling Ds in a sports survey type class anyway. I have probably checked out around $5k in library books over the last 12-18 months. I can't even imagine what our total would be if I had to purchase all those things...well, I'd probably make more textbook choices I guess.

[ReneeShepard]

We spent $200 on our first child's kindergarten curriculum. I could easily spend $900 on books, but I never would.

[MaryMak07]

I only have a preschooler and I totally overspent this year.  We do FIAR and I LOVE the books.  So I've been buying them.  I get used off Amazon, but it still adds up….  But I know I won't regret having these picture books to enjoy for years to come!

 

[melmichigan]

I laugh when I read these threads.  I took my head out of the sand and added it up for the last thread, so I'm not going to do it again, but yes, with my five I spend more than $2,500 a year, a lot more.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I spent more this year than ever.  My kids are nearing high school, and they don't share curriculum any longer.  For the longest time they shared and it saved money.  This year they are separate in almost everything by choice.  We keep discussing high school and if they could both do the same class here and there, but they have different interests AND learning styles.  I expect to keep spending about $1000 per kid a year.  I prefer to buy new curriculum after having issues buying used too many times(and having to buy more stuff later on).  However, I do sell my stuff to a local store, and hope to get some items used for next year.  In the past I sold my stuff at a used convention sale and recouped more money that way.  

 

I know I spend way less than people utilizing the co-ops and paying a monthly fee for all classes.  Some of the online classes are $600 a year.  And people do multiple classes!  So my $1000 per kid is really small beans compared to other options. 

[Runningmom80]

I still think it's an excellent deal compared to private school!  The college prep schools in my area are $20-30K.

[Peaceful Isle]

Whenever I think about the cost of homeschooling, I always remember what parents paid for tuition at the private school I worked at 7 years ago. It was up to $500 a month!

Then my guilt goes away, and I enjoy the new, shinny books :p 

[IfIOnly]

I spent more this year than ever.  My kids are nearing high school, and they don't share curriculum any longer.  For the longest time they shared and it saved money.  This year they are separate in almost everything by choice.  We keep discussing high school and if they could both do the same class here and there, but they have different interests AND learning styles.  I expect to keep spending about $1000 per kid a year.  I prefer to buy new curriculum after having issues buying used too many times(and having to buy more stuff later on).  However, I do sell my stuff to a local store, and hope to get some items used for next year.  In the past I sold my stuff at a used convention sale and recouped more money that way.  

 

I know I spend way less than people utilizing the co-ops and paying a monthly fee for all classes.  Some of the online classes are $600 a year.  And people do multiple classes!  So my $1000 per kid is really small beans compared to other options. 

 

We had a late start and just got done with school. The kids are eating lunch now. Phew!

 

Thank you all for the discussion; I enjoyed hearing from you. I had no idea there was a recent thread on this topic and am sorry for the repeat! 

 

We use a lot of consumable products, and that's why our costs are higher than I would like (but somewhere in the middle of the poll results). Our TT workbooks, Hake (they're just writing in the book), ETC, spelling, cursive, and composition books add up, but at least I save on the TMs with each forth coming child. :p But, yes, our costs are still so much less expensive than private school. Plus, the consumable route has been a huge time saver and makes our school day shorter. Those workbooks make me HAPPY. Happy mom is a good thing right?  :lol:

 

I also figured in the nonconsumable science books I will be purchasing soon to my amount.  I'll be buying 4 levels this year. Next year I'll need to purchase 3. The year after, I'll only need to make one purchase a year for my oldest. 

[Loowit]

The last couple of years I have spent around $1,200 to $1,400 for all three kids.  This does not include dance classes, soccer club, etc.  Before that it was a bit less, around $800 per year for all three.  My DD's high school curriculum costs a far bit, but I can reuse it once the boys are in high school, although we will have to purchase a few consumable things and they will likely want to learn different elective classes.  I spent a lot more on their math this year than in the past, but I think it was worth it.  We could get away with spending less I suppose, but both of my boys would have a much harder time if I did. They each have learning needs that particular curriculum helps to meet.  I am grateful that we are able to afford the curriculum that I feel we need for them.  I do a lot of research and don't spend the money just because, each purchase is thought out.

[Lori D.]

Homeschooled grades 1-12, from 2000 to 2012, no online classes, no expensive co-op options (Classical Conversations, academic co-ops, etc), or other expensive outsourcing (such as online classes) other than dual enrollment in 12th grade:

 

$800-1000 total for TWO DSs (elementary grades) = everything: curricula, lots of supplements, supplies, and educational activities, field trips, etc.

$1000-1200 total for TWO DSs (middle grades) = everything from above, plus low-key just for fun sports involvement

$1200-1500 total for TWO DSs (high school) = everything from above, plus 1 varsity high school for each -- $1500 = the years of 1-2 dual enrollment classes at the local 

 

I would guess that the rise in costs reflects the large amount of outsourcing options that have come available in the last 3-5 years, as well as the rise in costs of curricula and the fact that it is increasingly difficult to find good used curricula prices.

 

While I don't recall seeing any figures about elementary grade costs, when our DSs were of high school age, the rule of thumb was plan on $150 per credit (and most students take 6-7 credits a year), so that can easily run over $900 per high school student -- and that's without any dual enrollment, online classes, AP courses/tests, etc. Now, with online classes so widely available, and costing $300-500 per SEMESTER, you can easily spend $1000 per student just on outsourcing 2 credits, and still need to spend another $400-500 on the remaining credits… Just some perspective! ;) And… enjoy your low-cost homeschooling while you can! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[J&JMom]

I posted a poll a few months back asking how much spent on homeschool by grade and number of students.  

We planned on $2,500 for 2 boys, grade  and 7 and does not include field trips, piano lessons, gym membership tinkercrates or a new laptop since mine died today.  It does include all books (textbooks, novel study materials, and home library), office/art/science supplies, online programs such as BrainPop, Reading A-Z, LearningAlly Audiobooks, and IXL as well as ITBS testing materials.  And, yes, we subscribe to 8 scholastic magazines (2 science, current events, math, and one each of art and Spanish). 

[J&JMom]

dup

[Holly]

I think we spend about $200-500 on curriculum.  However, if you add in piano, I spend $120-160 per month on 4 DC (depending on how many lessons we have that month).  That makes our total go up quite a bit.  That's the only outside activity we are currently doing.  

[Love My Life x4]

Oh my... I definitely hit the $900/child on curricula/supplies/additional learning materials.  We didn't even need much going into this school year and I still managed to spend more than that.  And I have $150 worth of books/materials sitting in my rainbow cart that I'm going to get ordered this weekend.

This is not including gymnastics team, tumbling team, swim team, football, dance, guitar, drums ... eek, it all adds up SO fast!

[Rebecca in KY]

We budget $900/year for our 1 child. Some years I've used all of it on curricula (hello, Sonlight brand new!). Other years it's split between curricula and memberships. This year it looks something like this:

 

CLE math: $40

Sonlight: $200 (history, read alouds, Bible, readers, science...I sourced almost all of it used)

R&S English: $15 (as an English major, I don't need the TM)

AAS: $40

Pentime Handwriting: $12

Zoo and science center membership: $250

 

DS is 8 and in 3rd grade-level work.

 

It's very easy to spend $900+ when using lit-based curricula. I hate using the library because the books I want are rarely available when I want them, so we buy it all. Even then, books add up! My husband and I also choose to budget extra $$ for memberships and experiences.

 

I figure $900/year is way less than paying for private school!

[Runningmom80]

I posted a poll a few months back asking how much spent on homeschool by grade and number of students.  

We planned on $2,500 for 2 boys, grade  and 7 and does not include field trips, piano lessons, gym membership tinkercrates or a new laptop since mine died today.  It does include all books (textbooks, novel study materials, and home library), office/art/science supplies, online programs such as BrainPop, Reading A-Z, LearningAlly Audiobooks, and IXL as well as ITBS testing materials.  And, yes, we subscribe to 8 scholastic magazines (2 science, current events, math, and one each of art and Spanish). 

 

I am really impressed by this pie chart!

 

[katilac]

I have found high school to be much more expensive than middle school. The student texts are generally more expensive, and I definitely have to have teacher guides for a lot of them. 

 

The spending goes way up when we start dual enrollment in 11th-grade: $1800 for 6 classes over the year, plus college textbooks. 

 

It still beats the heck out of the $7,500 in tuition alone for the lowest-priced private local school. 

[Entropymama]

I think I voted wrong, because I forgot about sports. Still, I spend far less than $900 per year, per student. That would give me $4500/year. Oh, the things I could do..

 

My spending varies greatly by year. Some years I've gotten by on less that $100 per kid, but most years, not including extracurriculars, it's about $250 each. For perspective, my district will reimburse curriculum costs up to $188 per student. That's a far cry from the $8000 per year they spend on ps kids, but it's something. 

[....]

I voted less than $300.  We get almost all of our books through the library.  We use Youtube and Netflix for documentaries and videos explaining different concepts.  When I buy textbooks (or hardcover books), I buy them used.  For example, I think our Lial's Algebra text was 88 cents used on Amazon (obviously I had to pay shipping, but I think it was 5 bucks at the most).  Our German textbook was probably $2-$3...  I think I paid 99 cents for our Holt Biology textbook.

 

The most expensive things I've bought this year have been Ellen McHenry's The Brain, Beast Academy (although I already have some of the guides - just needed the workbook), and English from the Roots Up flashcards (those were pretty pricey - I think they were about 15 bucks).

 

Some stuff I already had -Notgrass...already had that....Writing with Skill 1 - I bought that when it first came out several years ago. 

[....]

I think I voted wrong, because I forgot about sports. 

 

I don't count sports or extracurriculars, either...I figure public school kids have those, too. 

[Mergath]

Not very much this year. Nowhere near $900, that's for sure. We have an amazing library and the librarian is one of my best friends, so we get any books we need that way. We also have a fantastic Goodwill with a lot of homeschool curricula, so I picked up a few things (okay, more than a few things) there. We're doing Math Mammoth, so no spending on math this year. I'm a beta tester for Mystery Science, so we got that free for the year too. Dd is pretty involved with Girl Scouts, but because I'm handling all the troop's tech and media stuff they cover our costs. 

 

Next year is going to be much more expensive, as my plan is to buy Beast Academy, the full MCT set for third grade, and we'll have to actually pay for science. I still don't think we'll hit $900 for curricula, though. I can't see spending that much on one child for one year until middle or high school, exclusive of extras.

[Farrar]

Maybe about $200 per kid. That's middle school. Doesn't include costs like ballet, theater, sports, and other teams or educational things we'd buy anyway like pleasure reading books and some games. We're not doing any academic co-ops or any online courses (that aren't free) this year. Our content subjects are all DIY for the most part. We've spent more some years in elementary school - especially building up collections of things. For example, I put down about $150 on chemistry supplies last year, but most of them will reuse in the future at some point. I anticipate we'll spend a lot more in the future for high school.

[AimeeM]

Yes, all those things could factor in. I was mostly thinking of dance classes, sports, martial arts, music lessons, etc., things that are considered electives in public school or after school activities.

Many public schools provide low cost sports and martial arts here; all provide art and group music instruction free as part of the actual school day.

In other words, what I pay for out of pocket since my children are homeschooling, I wouldn't necessarily pay for if my children were in public school.

[AimeeM]

Curriculum, supplies, and directly related resources only:

 

1st Grader: approximately $500

9th Grader: approximately $800 (maybe more)

[EndOfOrdinary]

I think this cost begins to dramatically increase with age. If you do not count music lessons (160 a month), we spent less than $300 for the entire year - more like around $100. However, next year high school transcripts begin and that means $$$$. With two outsourced classes and TGC Plus we are talking close to $1500 right there. With the outside test verification of two other classes, kick that number up to more like $1700. In the end, my job is basically funding Ds' Ivy League dreams.

 

I am totally fine with this, by the way. Private schools, therapy bills from attending public school, or moving to a much more urban area are significantly more expensive than $150 dollars a month!

[Roadrunner]

A lot, but that's mostly because I can splurge on charter money. We spend about $2,000 a year on books and supplies, not counting, music, sports, art.....

We could be less wasteful if we had to, but I lived having options on my shelves.

[callapidder]

I voted $1501-1800. This is just for curricula, and doesn't include piano lessons, rec center membership for phys ed, art supplies, field trips, etc. 

 

It's our first year homeschooling DS9 (3rd grade) and we are coming from private school. We allotted a percentage of the tuition we had been paying, and just stayed within that. Some of our biggest curriculum expenses this year were Nancy Larson Science 3 ($289), Singapore Math including supplemental workbooks ($215), and Zeezok Music Appreciation ($170). Obviously, we didn't choose the most economical options, but I really needed options that were easy-to-use and didn't require a lot of prep on my part.