What is your average cost per year to homeschool one child

[TwoEdgedSword]

If you break it down per child, approximately how much are you spending on curriculum per year?

Just asking about curriculum, online classes and materials, not transportation costs etc.

 

Rough estimates appreciated too!

 

Thanks

[regentrude]

Before DE tuition in late high school, around $150.

 

Math book $55, shared between two kids = $27.

used science and history texts, $20

foreign language curriculum approx $100, sufficient for 3 years

lots of books, cheap or free

documentaries, free

GC courses, bought deeply discounted on sale, used for both kids. Maybe $40/year and child.

 

Never used scripted curriculum.

 

 

ETA: The real cost of homeschooling would be the loss of income (and future earning potential) of the homeschooling parent. Anything spent on curriculum is insignificant in comparison.

Edited April 10, 2017 by regentrude

[AK_Mom4]

About $300 now that DD15 has hit high school.

 

It used to be cheaper, but decent lab kits add up quick. I buy her text books used from Amazon and we get most of the literature from the library if I don't already own it. I hit a going-out-of-business sale last year for a bookstore and cleared the classics shelf out for about $20. Worth every penny.

[Crimson Wife]

 

ETA: The real cost of homeschooling would be the loss of income (and future earning potential) of the homeschooling parent. Anything spent on curriculum is insignificant in comparison.

 

This is only the case if all children are first grade & up. If the parent is already out of the paid work force with one or more young children, then it's not a factor.

 

Only the most recent 2 years out of the 10 I've HSed has foregone income been an actual "cost".

[LucyStoner]

This is only the case if all children are first grade & up. If the parent is already out of the paid work force with one or more young children, then it's not a factor.

 

Only the most recent 2 years out of the 10 I've HSed has foregone income been an actual "cost".

 

I worked a FT job most of the time until my older son was 8.5 and my younger son was 3.  My forgone income was a cost from day one.  Not everyone anticipates staying home with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. 

[eternalsummer]

I think I spend more on fancy pens from jetpens than I do on curricula

 

Then again, I go through a lot of curricula.  The list of curricula I've tried and abandoned is ridiculously long.

 

However, the major cost is extracurriculars that would be free within the PS - art, band, choir, PE, etc.

[Barb_]

That's impossible to say. It depends on the age of the children, how many children, whether you are sharing materials or reusing materials, using online classes or just books, using a boxed curriculum or putting together your own. So many variables. You can spend next to nothing or thousands. A lot of the cost is wrapped up in how much of the planning and execution you're comfortable doing on your own.

 

I'm having trouble coming up with an appropriate metaphor, but it's a little like saying, "So approximately, how much does a house cost?" Or something like that. The range is too wide to narrow.

 

ETA: I just realized you want MY average cost. Sorry. Even still, the answers are going to be meaningless to you if you're trying to figure out your own yearly cost. The only way to do that is figure out your style and research materials to find the price range.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Barb_

[TwoEdgedSword]

Well, not really for us at least. I just looked at our actual costs on curriculum that we actually use per child, per annum. We have many children, but I looked at the costs of our most recent year. I looked at it by subject and included whether it was online, boxed or textbooks. If curriuculum was shared, I made the appropriate divisions.

[LMD]

Not including extracurricular activities, I probably spend about $2000 a year on books/materials/excursions . Most of those are non consumable and are added to our library for the youngers. So, maybe $600-$700 per student per year, but I haven't done high school or online courses yet (more expensive) and I buy a lot second hand but I also buy a lot lol!

Edited April 10, 2017 by LMD

[Barb_]

Well, not really for us at least. I just looked at our actual costs on curriculum that we actually use per child, per annum. We have many children, but I looked at the costs of our most recent year. I looked at it by subject and included whether it was online, boxed or textbooks. If curriuculum was shared, I made the appropriate divisions.

Lol, wouldn't work for me. I buy what I need as I need it. No strict school year divisions. I am curious as to why you're asking, though?

[TwoEdgedSword]

Barb,

No worries! I probably should have said this is not a how much does it cost to homeschool post. We've been homeschooling for 18 years, and I just wanted to see how our costs compared to others. 😊

[Arcadia]

My boys are a year apart but they don't share.

 

5th & 6th = $10,310 total for both kids

6th & 7th = $7,490 total for both kids

7th & 8th = $4,817 total so far for both kids

 

Total excludes cost of books, science equipment, music and art, and PE related activities

 

ETA:

Too lazy to divide by two. I have the cost tally on spreadsheets for each child.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Arcadia

[ebrindam]

About $2000 a year, not including extracurricular classes, science equipment, etc.  

[MeaganS]

$400/kid, including extracurricular stuff that I probably wouldn't do if we weren't homeschooling. If you take out the classes, it's significantly cheaper. Maybe $100/kid for books, supplies, and resources.

 

Eta, we're still all mid-early elementary still. I anticipate this getting much more expensive as I outsource classes starting around middle school.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Meagan S

[Guest]

For K-5th, it's been about $4-500 per year for curriculum excluding music lessons.  If we add those in, it's about $3,500/yr (excluding the actual instruments).

[Barb_]

Barb,

No worries! I probably should have said this is not a how much does it cost to homeschool post. We've been homeschooling for 18 years, and I just wanted to see how our costs compared to others. 😊

Gotcha. I misunderstood the intent.

[TwoEdgedSword]

Wow, Arcadia...what does it include? I'm assuming there are tutors, online or private schooling costs in there somewhere.

[Arcadia]

Wow, Arcadia...what does it include? I'm assuming there are tutors, online or private schooling costs in there somewhere.

For 2016/2017 (6th & 7th grade) it includes 5 online classes (DS12), 5 online classes (DS11), 1 brick and mortar German Saturday class that both kids attend and a Chinese tutor for both kids.

[Guest]

For coming school year, oldest's is going to cost somewhere between $3700-4250k, depending on what books and supplies for a couple classes cost me. It's by far our most expensive year ever, but it's because she's taking almost everything (except math and Latin) online or at a B&M class. 

 

 

[G5052]

For PK-3rd, I kept it under $500 for both, but we did nothing that cost much in terms of activities.

 

Each year afterwards varied and the price went up as we hit middle school and up and needed others teaching some subjects. 

 

This year for my youngest (12th) it ended up about $1400 which included two outside classes that I paid for, but I also bartered for two more which cost only my time. Her 11th grade cost about the same.

 

Those numbers don't include martial arts and music; in high school, my oldest had a gym membership too.

Edited April 10, 2017 by G5052

[Pink and Green Mom]

For my 6th grader, I spent approximately $2800 on co-op (5 academic classes taught by teachers or subject matter professionals and 1 enrichment class, each meeting once a week), and about $800 on curriculum.

[Zoo Keeper]

I spend roughly $150 - $200 per year on school supplies (books, printer ink, notebooks, etc.) for all my school aged children. Yes, I'm cheap.  I have to be.

 

 Most of the $ is spent on the older children, and books are passed down through the ranks.  I use the library religiously, and hit library sales/yard sales/goodwill frequently.  I got our copies of Iliad and Odyssey (nice, hardback Fitzgerald translation) for 25 cents each at a book sale.   I pick up titles when I can and plan based on what is available. 

 

 Sometimes grandparents will buy something educational as a gift, and we are grateful. 

 

I do not count my coffee as a school supply.   I probably should. :)  That would up my expenses… ;)

Edited April 10, 2017 by Zoo Keeper

[abba12]

I budget $1500 throughout the year for eldest, but that includes a lot of living books as our local library is not practical for us so I buy all our books.

 

However, by nature of our curriculum choices, it subsequently costs almost nothing to school the other two kids, so i think of it as $500 per child

[Audrey]

If you break it down per child, approximately how much are you spending on curriculum per year?

Just asking about curriculum, online classes and materials, not transportation costs etc.

 

Rough estimates appreciated too!

 

Thanks

 

Up until high school years, we spent rougly $300-$400 per year for curriculum, supplies and outside class fees (art, sports).

 

High school was roughly double that. 

 

I used mainly Oak Meadow which meant lots and lots of nature, science and art supplies (well worth it to go with high quality on those things, IMO and IME) and Saxon for math.  I did not source out used materials very often, although we did use the library for literature.

[Audrey]

Before DE tuition in late high school, around $150.

 

Math book $55, shared between two kids = $27.

used science and history texts, $20

foreign language curriculum approx $100, sufficient for 3 years

lots of books, cheap or free

documentaries, free

GC courses, bought deeply discounted on sale, used for both kids. Maybe $40/year and child.

 

Never used scripted curriculum.

 

 

ETA: The real cost of homeschooling would be the loss of income (and future earning potential) of the homeschooling parent. Anything spent on curriculum is insignificant in comparison.

 

 

Assumptions.

 

I have always worked at least a couple of part-time jobs or full-time while we homeschooled.  My dh works from home and I was able to secure work that often allowed me to work from home as well.

 

Not everyone homeschooling has to sacrifice income earnings to do so.

[teachermom2834]

I think next year will be about $6000 total for three kids. One will dual enroll 4 classes each semester at local university. One will be 9th grade with 5 online plus 2 co-op classes and a 4th grader with a full curriculum in a box.

 

Books for big kids are rented or bought used.

 

It is expensive to do it this way but worth it to us. Definitely possible to do it much cheaper though!

[madteaparty]

I worked a FT job most of the time until my older son was 8.5 and my younger son was 3. My forgone income was a cost from day one. Not everyone anticipates staying home with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Agree. It was even older for mine.

[SeaConquest]

I don't keep track, but, if you include music lessons, extracurriculars, curricula, field trips, and online classes, probably close to 5k for my 2nd grader.

[kroe1]

Averaged about $2500? per year and ended high school with one of the most elaborate science labs known to man...not really, but one can buy a lot of science tools spending about $500 a year for 10 years or so. Now college is going to cost me $30,000 a year including a few plane tickets back and forth. Homeschooling was super cheap in comparison.

[emzhengjiu]

For my 16 yo, I will be spending about $2000 for the next school year, mostly for outsourced classes since I'm trying to work more hours.  Also, as much as it pains me to acknowledge, for some classes my daughter does much better with outside accountability. 

 

When my older daughter was a dual credit student, tuition at the CC was free but I spent an insane amount on textbooks.  We had to be careful buying or renting texts because all but one of her classes required an access code.

[Ausmumof3]

Wow .... Better start saving for high school. I've spent around $450 for the three kids this year so far but will need to spend more on maths books in July. We do have some other activity expenses but it's hard to factor where the line between what we would have done anyway and what we do because of homeschooling falls.

[sgo95]

For k-7, it averages about $200-300 per year if I buy all new materials.  Since we've handed things down, it costs less than that.  Starting in 8th grade though, we do 1-2 online classes (which cost $600-$800 each).  For high school years, we will outsource a lot to online classes.  Next year, my 10th grader's classes will cost $3500-4000.

[Carrie12345]

I can't even begin to come up with a rough estimate.  I'm a curriculum junkie with 5 (4 current) homeschoolers.  We also participate in outside activities, from very expensive to free, but all involve a lot of gas in the car.

 

I'm sure I've spent thousands on curriculum in the past decade, but that translates into spending hardly anything on subsequent kids. (Or not, lol.)  And I do small purges periodically, selling things that I truly didn't like, so a little bit comes back here and there.

 

What I do know is that I could do it a lot cheaper if I had to.  I also know I could spend a heck of a lot more if I were able!

[DawnM]

 

 

ETA: The real cost of homeschooling would be the loss of income (and future earning potential) of the homeschooling parent. Anything spent on curriculum is insignificant in comparison.

 

 

I can't even think about all of this.  I stayed home for a little over 10 years.  If I had worked and sent the kids to PS, we could have the house completely paid off and college fully funded, etc.....

 

But I didn't HS out of a "I feel called to HS" conviction.  Or maybe I shouldn't say that.  I was drawn to HS after my son was diagnosed with ASD and wasn't doing well in school.  So maybe that was my call at that point.

I don't know.

 

I just know that I am now returning to work to help pay for my kids' college, but we can't offer what we had thought we could (college of their choice, live at college, etc....).  We now have a finite amount of money to offer, which essentially covers state school, and preferably living at home while going.

 

I am returning to work for other reasons as well, but college is one factor.

[DawnM]

Homeschooling costs.

 

Hmmmm......I was extremely frugal.  I would say about $200 per kid max, but I could often sell that $200 in used curriculum for $150 after it had gone through 3 kids.

 

I didn't keep meticulous records though and would budget about $200 per kid (I have 3 kids) per year.  

 

That doesn't include the stuff I sold.

And that doesn't include extracurriculars, that is just for curriculum

Edited April 10, 2017 by DawnM

[KungFuPanda]

I spend about $1500 per year. It was more for dd, but she did more extracurriculars. We saved money when she transitioned to high school. I found science and foreign language to be the courses you really needed to pay for because unless it's your field or passion it can be difficult to do it justice on your own. DH is a mathematician, so we don't have to outsource that. Even if you have a good grasp in a second language, your child will probably schoose a different one and you don't want a beginner teaching a beginner :-/

[SamanthaCarter]

We have a budget of $100 per month, but dh assigns anything kid activity or childcare related to this budget. So choir, gym class, writing class, books, supplies, field trip, dues etc for two elementary kids. That's around $600+ per year.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 10, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[HomeAgain]

Our cost last year (1st grade) was about $100.  Our cost this year is $450:

 

$150 math

$60 language arts

$60 art

$70 science

$75 Latin

$20 ASL (book & dvd recommended by his current teacher)

$0 history (have it already)

$20 logic puzzles

 

 

Music is another $1200/year with a private tutor, so all together it's about $1700.  I really wish I hadn't added that up, lol :lol:

 

 

[poppy]

These threads always turn into who spends the least contest.    For me, I probably spent LOTS this years figuring things out.  I am sure I spend more on things I didn't use than things I did.   Next year will be different.  But we spend WAY more on outside classes than homeschooling.

 

My plan for next year will include:

Math $100

Science $100

Lit $100
History- library

Art Supplies $50

Farm Coop $500

Zoo School, Museum Classes, Nature Center classes $500

Parkour $350

 

 

 

 

 

[poppy]

I can't even begin to come up with a rough estimate.  I'm a curriculum junkie with 5 (4 current) homeschoolers.  We also participate in outside activities, from very expensive to free, but all involve a lot of gas in the car.

 

I'm sure I've spent thousands on curriculum in the past decade, but that translates into spending hardly anything on subsequent kids. (Or not, lol.)  And I do small purges periodically, selling things that I truly didn't like, so a little bit comes back here and there.

 

What I do know is that I could do it a lot cheaper if I had to.  I also know I could spend a heck of a lot more if I were able!

 

True dat.

[historically accurate]

Hm. I have spent a lot over the years. I'll give you this year's. It's gone up by a lot as the kids have gotten older. I used to come in below $500 for all 3 when they were little. 

 

9th grade: $1000 (grandmother paid for half dual enrollment)

$80 math - purchased used

$25 physics - found book for $1, used online helps, maybe $20ish for lab stuff

$40 spelling

$30 writing

$125 BYL & books - actually purchased a year earlier and not used

$75 robotics at co-op

$500 dual enrollment including books

$125 ASL class online

 

6th grade: $200ish for books/curriculum, $700ish for co-curriculars - grandmother helps with chess fees

$100 math

$80 art classes

$25 random books

$20 unit study guides/lapbooks (mainly I used what I already had - shared with 4th grader)

$400 piano lessons (we'd still do these even if she were in school)

$200 chess tourney fees/chess lessons (again, would do even if in ps)

$80 robotics (would be done even if in ps)

 

4th grade: approximately same as 6th grader

$90 math

$80 art classes

$40 spelling

$25 random books

unit study guides, etc counted under 6th grader

$400 piano lessons

$100 chess tourney fees/chess lessons

$80 robotics

 

I've purchased several things in past years that I am currently using. Many of these I don't remember what I paid for them:

All About Spelling (6th grade)

Mindbenders (6th grade)

The Giggly Guide to Grammar (6th grade)

One Hour Mysteries (4th grade)

Hands on Equations (4th and 6th grade)

Various Writing books (4th and 6th grade)

 

All children do educational summer camps paid for by grandmother; younger two take science classes (4 - 5) over the year that are paid for by state scholarship. Each child is in their own math curriculum; I found it a) stops the comparison and b) works for my very different-learning children. I do, however, resell anything I can - I just earned enough by selling All About Spelling levels and various books to purchase next year's math programs.

Edited April 10, 2017 by beckyjo

[Jan in SC]

I only have one homeschooler left and he is an 8th grader. I hadn't planned to homeschool this year, so I just bought Oak Meadow for $500 and an old math book for about $20. I'm not including any extracurriculars or private music because he would still participate in those if he wasn't homeschooled.

[Kalmia]

When I was homeschooling I spent $2000 per kid, that included all curriculum, literature, and living books (crappy library so we bought all our literature and living books, this really upped the cost), outside classes (art, pottery, archeology, swimming etc.), memberships to museums & cultural institutions (several at close to $100 a pop but less than paying the entrance fee each time), and tickets to many performances.

[Spryte]

We go year round, and just buy as needed. I just bought the next level of math and writing, actually. But writing was free because I happened to luck into the exact level/book we needed now, on freecycle. We zoomed through this year though, and finished both very early, so this year I'm buying 2 rounds, essentially, since we went fast.

 

Some years I spend very little, if we find used items or I am energetic and make a lot (this was more the case in earlier years), most years I spend a fair amount. I don't skimp on materials - OP mentioned materials and we buy good quality art supplies, etc. We supplement a lot, too, so while we are doing electricity in physics right now, we splurged at the Radio Shack clearance sale and bought a ton of circuit boards and supplies for electronics. This ties in directly (NOEO physics 3), but isn't technically curricula.

 

If I had to guess I'd say we spent about $1,000 this year on 7th grade curricula, classes and materials, and books. Maybe more or less.

 

For my Ker, we bought some fresh play dough, crayons, markers, pencils and paper. A few books. Everything else I had on hand. It's so much easier when you can pass down supplies! Wow.

[Dmmetler]

Define homeschooling.

 

No, seriously...because if you include conference travel and frog pond supplies and tons of herpetology books and journal subscriptions, plus stuff that we do to fill in gaps (like cheer and tumbling, which I call PE), we probably push 10k/yr. But since our family vacations are built around conferences, it's hard to draw the line there, and while I suspect DD does more extracurriculars than she would do if she were in school (or at least, more outside of school), most of the kids at her gym aren't homeschooled and are there as much or more than she is.

 

For actual school, this past year was about $2000, with multiple online classes and a college class. Next year looks to be about $4000, but that includes tuition and textbooks/materials for 9 college credits in the fall, and I'm assuming a similar number in the Spring.

[Janeway]

For just books and supplies at home, this year, less than $100 for both put together, but probably a lot less. I already owned most books they are using and have always bought used. I definitely sold more in used books to the used book store this year than spent. Outsourced classes...400 this year, total. And physical activity classes-about 300 a month for both put together.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It varies so much from year to year.  Probably not more than $500 per kid.  But that changed a bit when DS started taking courses at the CC.  That's been an additional $1500 ish for the year.   Some of those should count towards his degree though.

 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

Just to note: I don't usually spend all of my budget on the front end. I'm careful to only buy what I need when I need it (I'm sure I miss out on sales this way, but I also don't end up with stuff I don't use.) So that means maybe buying a math book mid year, finishing up a science book from last year when the new year starts, etc. Also, expenses related to outside classes trickle in, so it's really hard to make a list of what you bought or paid for at the beginning of the school year and say that this is how much you spend on homeschool. The expenses kind of permeate the year.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Epicurean]

As a point of reference, public schools spend an average of $11,000 per student per year. That varies by state--New York spends $20k, for example. http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html

 

Oh, what we could do if we were given the same budget!

[mommyoffive]

As a point of reference, public schools spend an average of $11,000 per student per year. That varies by state--New York spends $20k, for example. http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html

 

Oh, what we could do if we were given the same budget!

 

So true.