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What is your average cost per year to homeschool one child


TwoEdgedSword
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The past few years I've spent about $750 a year for 4 kids. I'm hoping for less this year though because the past few years have included more expensive curriculum that I won't need to buy again (LOE Foundations A-D, TWSS). If I include extra curricular activities and museum passes it goes up, of course. We spend $165 a month for martial arts, this year we have two museum memberships that were around $100 each and we do the odd homeschool class or concert here and there that are $25-$75 (Total for all 4 kids) at a time. Then there's the occasional purchases for science experiments, art projects, or general school supplies. I have no idea what the complete total would be if I added up all of those things. Maybe I'll keep track this year. I'm curious...in a terrified sort of way.

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I never kept track. We just spent what we needed. But for our last one, a rising senior, we will spend $1400.00 on two college classes,and quite a bit on rocket team, but not much else because we have the texts from his older brothers to reuse for things like American Government, Econ, etc.

 

Back when I was homeschooling four at once, it was probably $1000 each and that would not have included all the extracurricular expenses.

 

In terms of other costs, homeschooling full time meant I had to give up my music career and thriving music studio as it was just too much to balance. Not has this cost us a pretty penny in income which is coming back to haunt us with two college kids and a third on the way, but severely limited my earning potential in the future as one does not simply waltz back into a music career at 49 with an 18 year gap. Still glad that for the sake of the kids I did do that, but the consequences to me and to our finances are very real as well.

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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.

 

Fair enough. I should have clarified "if the parent chooses to stay home or work fewer hours that she or he otherwise would".

Which I assume is the case for most homeschooling families.

I am not a SAHM, even while homeschooling, but working only part time adds up to a lot of forgone income, especially since this precludes career advancement in the future, even after returning to full time work.

Edited by regentrude
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Per child? No idea really. I keep track of my yearly expenses. I also buy ahead when someone is selling a very good used copy of what I need on ebay. I'm a patient and frugal person so I don't buy the first copy I see. In other words, I buy throughout the year. Especially since we are year-round homeschoolers.

 

So far this year: $500 for 3 kids

2015-2016 school year: $850

2014-2015 school year: $800

 

I would say that 50-60% of what I buy is non-consumable and can be shared, so in theory I shouldn't have to buy much at all for the youngest two. I am not including music lessons and other classes but if I did we would add an additional:

 

Piano: $540 (one child, 9 months)

Violin: $980 (one child, 11 months)

Music books: $50-100 (two girls, one year)

New violin: $450

ballet lessons: $350 for two girls, one semester

ballet outfits: $140 for two girls

 

My big girl is also about to begin viola lessons next month so that will add up next year.

 

ETA: I forgot about my Schoolhouse Teachers subscription: $71.40

 

Edited by Ruthie in MS
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Hard to say most years I use all $800 our ALE gives us for each child but its a lot of extras we wouldn't buy if the money weren't just their I probably average a  $100 out of pocket for other things.  We don't have to pay for a lot of extras because they get those at the school.

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It has been nearly 4 years since my youngest graduated from high school, so keep that in mind.  We probably averaged $150 per child per year.  We didn't participate in co-ops.  (Didn't have any.)

 

ETA:  I'm not counting extracurriculars, such as piano lessons and sports, etc., as school, as I never really considered them to be part of school.  Just as they wouldn't be considered school if you attended public school.

 

Edited by J-rap
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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.

 

 

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I am similar to this, but I do buy ahead at sales throughout the year for things I know I want for next year, or are at least pretty sure I want. I buy used when possible, but I have been guilty of buying things I thought I would use and didn't at times too. Usually in those cases, it is supplementary stuff when we have a full curric, but I want to also read some other books that we truly don't have time to add in. But I am getting better about that, and better about watching my spending. I do overspend on some things that I know help my kids no matter how much they cost. I have one dd that is thriving with Thinking Tree/Dyslexia Games books this year. I have bought several for this year that I could have probably bought less, but she is doing so well with them, that I don't care. 

 

So average?? I don't know. We spend about $200 a year in co-op fees for 2 kids. 

 

curriculum this year:

9th grade: math Free, borrowed from a friend

Latin: continued same book from last year. It was a full set last year, around $90 for books and videos. But it lasted her two years, and will go through at least one more kid, maybe parts of it will last through 3 kids. 

English: Rod and Staff teacher and workbook, test book, student text: I buy pieces from the 2nds sales when I can. So I am not sure what I paid for these, but around $30-$40 I am guessing. Again, it will go through two, maybe 3 kids. I only have to add the workbook and test books each year which are super cheap. 

Writing: WWS, I bought it like 4 years ago, and she has slowly worked through it. I did pay full price, but used a gift card from my BIL that he gave us for school supplies one year. so free for me. I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Would have found it used or just kept up with R&S writing and other assignments. 

history: bought quite a bit new last year: new encyclopedia to last next 4 years, new Timetables of History to last next 4 years, so about $50 for those, plus the History of the Ancient  World around $25.  It will go through more than one kid. 

geography: coloring book she has been using for the last 5 years, so I won't count it in this year's cost. 

art: supplies mostly and I do spend a bit on those a year, maybe say $30 per kid. Probably more, and have paid for two out of pocket classes which was around $20. I used a coupon for the class and supplies.  Other classes we have attended were free. 

Science: most expensive this year. Her co-op teacher chose a new textbook, so there were no used copies floating around. Had to pay full price for it. around $65

literature guides: I did buy one full memoria press guide for her and TM for me $30, plus a cliffs note on another book $6,  plus lots of cheap used copies of books $15?. I bought the Well Educated Mind full price for $25. 

Logic: around $50

 

So like $500 it seems like for her. But that is because she was moving up to a new level, so I had to get books on the rhetoric level stuff. Some will last the next four years and will go through multiple kids. I don't sell much because I don't know what I might reuse as I have two kids behind her. 

 

For next year, same kid: 

co-op fees: same. Probably around $100 for her half. 

math: SchoolHouseTeachers dot com, $179 full price for a year's access. This gives us access to all kinds of things for all of my kids too, so there are other things I will use on it. But I am mainly getting it for math. 

Latin: Henle II and guides from MP. $40 bought a year ago, so no new cost to me this year. 

History: History of Medieval World, $20. The other stuff we have from last year. 

writing/rhetoric: used WTM recomendations, $20 for two different programs, should last the full year

English: $21, bought new but at 2nds half price sale. 

Thinking Tree Journal, $15

Science????  I have about $20 worth of used books I could use for at home next year, but if we do the science class at co-op, I will need to pay for that expensive text. DD and I are still deciding here. 

Art, will be covered by the SHT and/or co-op. So only supplies as needed throughout the year. I am not paying for outside classes right now. 

Literature: I shouldn't need anything but the occasional cliff's notes. We have tons of lit on shelf for the next year, and I already bought WEM which she works from.

Music we are adding piano lessons. She just started. Will probably continue for some months into next year at least. Possibly the whole year. Right now it is $30 a month.  But I won't count that. It is extra curricular, as are her sports fees and scouts fees. 

 

So a bit under $4oo, unless we go for the higher science text at co-op. 

 

I spend a lot less on her little sis since she has the hand me down books. To give you an idea: 

Next year for 8th grade for 2nd sister: 

math: on shelf. I have everything. 

English: on shelf. I have everything. 

Latin: on shelf. I have everything. 

spelling: she will still be working in the books she started this year. 

science: on shelf. we have everything. 

Writing: I have WWS or she can do assignments out of her English book. Won't spend anything.

history: have everything.

Logic and Art through the SHT I am purchasing for her older sister's math and or things we have on shelf and through co-op classes. Will only need art supplies as they come up. 

Lit: purchased the set of books years ago for her older sis that she is working through. 

Thinking Tree: new journal $15 just because we love them. Possibly a math supplement book for $7  just because she does well with these. 

Her half of co-op fees: $100. 

I will look at used books for anything that I like, but I don't need anything for her. I am looking at $115 for everything I can think of for her right now, outside of extra curriculars. 

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I have no idea. I spend a lot on homeschooling and even more on activities. I don't know which activities we'd be doing if they were in public school - potentially all of them. And most of the money I spend on school is spent on books. I'm sure I would be buying books even if they were in school. I would say I'm spending at least $1000 on my oldest that I wouldn't spend otherwise. $200-500 on each of the others.

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i never seem to spend more than $200 no matter how many kids or ages. i'm frugal, and a minimalist. next year i plan to go a little crazy with possibly a laptop, science kits-we don't normally use them- music instruments (I teach my own), fun workbooks, games, lots of art and experiments and fun. 

 

this year, i spent $40. we only needed one math book. 

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ETA:  I'm not counting extracurriculars, such as piano lessons and sports, etc., as school, as I never really considered them to be part of school.  Just as they wouldn't be considered school if you attended public school.

 

I did not count these either. My kids would have done those anyway, even if they had attended public school.

Nor did I count family travel - because, ditto.

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Well, If I figured it for my oldest, because I have to buy everything for her, it would come out to $300, maybe $400.  But then the youngers use all the same materials in turn.  So do I answer $300-400, or do I answer $75-100?

 

 

ETA: But that was just curriculum.  If I included costs for instruments and music lessons, which I consider an essential part of their educations, that figure would rise about $500.  But then, we would still be doing that if they were in public school.

 

 

Also, these are my numbers from this past year, which is the most I have ever spent.  But we managed on less when necessary.

 

 

ETA: My oldest is only 8.

Edited by La Condessa
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i never seem to spend more than $200 no matter how many kids or ages. i'm frugal, and a minimalist. next year i plan to go a little crazy with possibly a laptop, science kits-we don't normally use them- music instruments (I teach my own), fun workbooks, games, lots of art and experiments and fun. 

 

this year, i spent $40. we only needed one math book. 

This is impressive!

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The thing that gets me, though, is that DD probably wouldn't be flying to Texas to present at a rattlesnake conservation event in March if she were in PS-because she probably wouldn't have had the time to do the projects that lead to those opportunities. She has spent 15-20 hours a week on herp stuff for several years, and that time had to come from somewhere. So those expenses aren't explicitly homeschooling, but probably wouldn't happen if we weren't.

 

The same is true with other stuff. I'm sure there are some kids who do extracurriculars daily, but my DD probably wouldn't were she in school all day, every day.

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I'm not sure I could even calculate? We reuse so many materials. I'd say we spend roughly $500 per year per kid if I was buying books new each year for everyone and not including dance and piano lessons or outsourced classes like swimming and photography.

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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.

I cleared out a bunch of the Usbornes from the same shop. Score!

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Someone just asked me this recently in real life. I estimated that it's less than $1000 for all three kids. I think we are in the less expensive years though. I spent a lot more the first few years but can now reuse a lot of what we bought. And ds will be in high school next year and I anticipate it will go up, even if we aren't doing a lot of outsourcing. Just things like buying the actual literature books so he can write in them and take notes vs. getting picture books from the library. 

 

Dh once asked me how much I thought it was. We would very possibly send the kids to a small private school that almost all of our friends go to if we didn't homeschool. The tuition there is about $5000 per kid per year. So I told him regardless, we save money. 

 

I actually think the cost is not much less than public school, from the people I know who have kids in public school. They are always talking about fees for various things and extra costs. Required supplies, etc. Maybe that changes for high school if you are outsourcing. 

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The thing that gets me, though, is that DD probably wouldn't be flying to Texas to present at a rattlesnake conservation event in March if she were in PS-because she probably wouldn't have had the time to do the projects that lead to those opportunities. She has spent 15-20 hours a week on herp stuff for several years, and that time had to come from somewhere. So those expenses aren't explicitly homeschooling, but probably wouldn't happen if we weren't.

 

The same is true with other stuff. I'm sure there are some kids who do extracurriculars daily, but my DD probably wouldn't were she in school all day, every day.

 

I agree.  There is no way my DD would be playing in 4 bands and swimming if she was still in PS.  There just isn't enough time in the day.

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I've been homeschooling for 20 years, and I have four children.

 

I've been working on cataloguing my home library and school, for insurance purposes, so I've figured out roughly what I spent. Books and materials alone have cost about $10,000. I did not count preschool toys or musical instruments. I did not count activities, because while this may not be true for all families, I'm pretty confident my kids would have done the same or similar stuff if they'd gone to school.

 

So books and materials have averaged out to $250 per kid, per year, so far. I'll update after I see what I have to do to get the youngest through homeschooling as the last child home...I think my spending will change a lot, as he'll probably have many more opportunities (and reason) for outsourcing.

 

Most of what I've used is non-consumable. I was building a library. I was lucky enough to learn about WTM and Charlotte Mason very early in my homeschooling career, so I was able to use whole books and minimal worktexts. This is one thing I would do again; I don't regret spending the bulk of the homeschool budget on good books.

 

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Elementary was around $200 for both children combined. Most of that was for field trips. Middle school was about $300 for both children combined. The first two years of high school were around $300 for both. Last two years were around $400 for one child (the only one who has gone gotten to those grades. ). We outsource very little and mostly only in 11th and 12th grade.

 

 

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It depends on the child.

 

I'll spend around $200 for my oldest for next year (10th grade), unless lab supplies are more than I anticipate, and then it'll be more. Plus I'm budgeting around $500 for an outsourced Spanish class for her.

 

I'll spend under $100 for my rising 7th grader, I think. Some of his stuff is left from his sister.

 

$50, maybe, for my rising 3rd grader. Much of what he will use is left from older siblings

 

Not much at all for my rising 1st grader. Draw Write Now books aren't free though.

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It really has varied.  When dd was younger we probably spent about $1500 a year.  We were doing Sonlight for both history and science and that adds up. There were also quite a few workbooks and consumable items that we used during the early elementary grades.  Dd is now in 8th grade and we probably spend about $500-800 a year for curriculum and books.  Most of our curriculum I have been able to find used but now and again there is the odd consumable or I want a newer edition of something so I have to purchase it new.

 

On top of curriculum we usually spend about $200-300 a year for co-op classes and another $200-300 on field trips.  Dd also takes private trombone lessons that cost about $1200 per year and participates in an orchestra that is another $400 for the year.

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About $2k per year, per kid. That includes literature, audiobooks, classes, science kits, printer toner, school supplies, subscriptions to BrightStorm, Reflex Math, and Great Courses Plus, outdoor school for my youngest, literature guides, used textbooks and more used textbooks, etc. i bought ahead quite a bit. This might have something to do with the 3 bookcases full of curricula I am selling at a garage sale soon.

 

On the other hand, I have almost everything I could conceivably need to finish educating my two kids through high school. So I would have a hard time spending that much next year. I could easily keep it to $100 per kid next year.

Edited by ondreeuh
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I think I spent about $600 each year for 1st and 2nd. But I got a lot of books and a lot of extras like puzzles, games, and manipulatives. Those can add up so fast! At least some of those I would have gotten anyway. 

 

Next year I'll have a 4th and a K at home. We're going through a program that is sort of like a charter and we will get a fair bit of funds for each kid. For 4th we will get $1,050 but it's not just an open amount, there is designated amounts per subject. K child will get $750. I can include a laptop and their dance classes as well as family membership somewhere if I can justify it within one of our approved subjects. 

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It really, really varies by age for us.

 

DD15 - no outsourced classes this upcoming year. Tenth grade. Around $1500 total, I would say. 

 

DS7 - no outsourced classes this upcoming year. Third grade. Around $700-800.

 

DS4 - no outsourced classes this upcoming year. Kindergarten. Around $100. 

 

Extra supplies that will be used by everyone... around $200-$300.

 

The numbers would be higher if I hadn't hit the convention for most curriculum and supplies. A lot of publishers offered discounts and even those who didn't offer discounts, at least offered free shipping if you ordered at the convention. 

 

Edited by AimeeM
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I agree.  There is no way my DD would be playing in 4 bands and swimming if she was still in PS.  There just isn't enough time in the day.

Agreed. While I would likely still have, say, the boys in dance if they were in school, the field trips and art classes? No. Those are homeschool specific and I wouldn't be doing them if they were in school.

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It's been around $800 for the past few years.  My most expensive year ever was $1100, but that was the year I was working and I spent money on programs that could be done independently.

However, I don't need to buy any more expensive high school programs (DE & books are covered by tax dollars).  I need to replace a few consumables for my younger boys, and I'm sure I'll find some neat things that we "need", but I expect to spend less than $500 this year.  In reality, I don't have to buy anything again.

I don't know how to break it down by kid because so many things are shared.

(These numbers don't include piano lessons or football or rock climbing, because those would be done even if they were in school)

Edited by JudoMom
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