Over the long run, what are your most expensive subjects?

[mom2bee]

Which subjects wind up costing the most $$$ over the long run?

 

Factoring in the cost of the curriculum, the supplements, the supplies or tuition for classes or tutoring, etc.

 

 

[maize]

Here it's extracurriculars like dance.

 

I'll probably spend $ for outside science classes in high school. Anything I teach myself isn't too much.

Edited February 28, 2018 by maize

[Lori D.]

High school subjects usually run you the most -- unless you have a young student who needs expensive therapy or treatment for a disability or other issue.

 

Any subject done as an outsourced class with a quality online or dual enrollment course provider is going to be pricey -- usually $300-600 per class per semester. That adds up fast.

 

As do extracurriculars that involve things like music, sports, dance, gymnastics, horses, etc. Or travel.

 

After that, for home-based subjects, it was Science that cost us the most, what with the textbook program + lab materials + supplements. I could see how Math or Writing could add up quickly if you need a private tutor or need to outsource.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Lori D.

[Jackie]

Foreign language is looking like it will cost us the most over the long run. DD is interested in learning several, and there will need to be substantial outsourcing involved for that to happen.

[Arcadia]

Music (theory + practice + recitals + instrument costs and repairs) - one kid choose flute which was hard to repair so repair cost ran high and another choose cello which is costly even to rent. Instructor costs for group and individual lessons won’t cheap either as less people teach flute and cello. If my kids have picked piano, the cost would be much lower as there are many more piano tutors and I already owned a piano. Theory was cheaper as my husband and I taught my kids the fundamentals so we paid for the theory intensive courses in summer to make sure any gaps we made are covered.

 

Lab sciences - mainly because brick and mortar lab classes cost more but my kids prefer those. Lab supplies also cost more even if we do labs at home. I had paid about $2k for a brick and mortar year long lab class.

 

German - it does not cost much yearly but it’s my kids main social activity so we have been paying since they were in kindergarten. So if we were talking strictly about four years of high school world language then the total cost is actually low. We paid about $1.1k per kid per year.

[North Coast School]

Therapies  for learning differences, emotional health, and sensory issues are my biggest expense in education my kiddo.

 

For traditional curriculum, science can be a little pricey for us since my DD needs lots of experimenting to understand concepts.

[CAJinBE]

Online high school classes definitely add up. Foreign language tutoring is also very expensive. Currently we have a tutor twice a week for two students in two languages for a total of 120 euros per week. We live in an area where three languages are spoken if you include English which is not official. Thankfully sports here are very inexpensive. Not counting our own transportation costs, I think a year of volleyball is about 250 euros for twice weekly training and weekend games.

[frogger]

Well, my daughter fell in love with the harp. I put her off for 2-3 years before succombing. Even if I don't include purchasing an insturment, it dwarfs all other classes.

 

Second would be special programs for learning difficulties. If you don't have to pay for testing services, therapies, etc be thankful. They cost a lot.

 

 

Both of these things make online high school classes look like peanuts.

[HomeAgain]

For elementary, in order of expense:

 

history

math

French

Music

 

Music is $1300-1500 a year for lessons and various needs (book, instrument pieces..)

 

French is a monthly subscription right now, so roughly $375/year

 

Math.....that's hard, because it feels like he eats math books, he goes through them so quickly.  About $300/year for his main and supplemental curricula.

 

History - inexpensive in the early years, but during middle school we focus more on doing unit/topical studies with Jackdaws.  I buy them on sale, but even so they're between $40 and $60 each for a package that lasts us 4-6weeks.

[Heathermomster]

Violin....

 

Eta: I didn’t even consider all the testing, therapies, and tech for reading, EF, and dysgraphia.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Heathermomster

[Momto6inIN]

Music lessons by far

 

Also high school math (because I bought a video based program to be the teacher instead of me) and high school history (because Great Courses are awesome)

 

Sent from my Z988 using Tapatalk

[Mbelle]

Online classes, but it was worth it.  They learned so much and deadlines were an integral part of that.  We would have never made it through so much Latin without online classes.  

Now they attend a 1-2 day hybrid for high school and it's the same amount of money as outsourcing everything.  The drawback is not getting to choose the curriculum and really relinquishing quite a bit of autonomy, but they love it and the in person class discussions are fantastic.  

[nixpix5]

I’m going to echo Lori D. and say high school in general. Online classes are expensive and I’m finding a lot of the books to cost on a par with college texts (some ARE college texts). Add in tech fees and registration fees and we’re easily looking at 700-900 a class with books. Doesn’t seem to matter much which class if it’s from a popular provider- they’re all within spitting range. Those are the prices I’m seeing, so we’ve decided to cap at 3 online a year and the rest at home.

Jaw on floor. With 3 littles right now I guess I better start saving. My DH thought we were saving a ton compared to what we paid in private school tuition. Eek!

[Mimm]

For elementary, in order of expense:

 

history

math

French

Music

 

Music is $1300-1500 a year for lessons and various needs (book, instrument pieces..)

 

French is a monthly subscription right now, so roughly $375/year

 

Math.....that's hard, because it feels like he eats math books, he goes through them so quickly.  About $300/year for his main and supplemental curricula.

 

History - inexpensive in the early years, but during middle school we focus more on doing unit/topical studies with Jackdaws.  I buy them on sale, but even so they're between $40 and $60 each for a package that lasts us 4-6weeks.

 

What are you using for French? :)

 

Sorry for the thread hijack. Before my daughter went to PS, foreign language (French) was our most expensive class because we outsourced it. We also did yoga at a local yoga studio for a PE class and that turned out to be quite expensive. :)

 

[HomeAgain]

What are you using for French? :)

 

Sorry for the thread hijack. Before my daughter went to PS, foreign language (French) was our most expensive class because we outsourced it. We also did yoga at a local yoga studio for a PE class and that turned out to be quite expensive. :)

 

 

Ah, in that case I'm not sure you'd be interested.  We're doing One Third Stories.  It's UK based but they ship world wide (we're in the states).  It starts at the very beginning teaching the basics within context of English stories.  Each box has a book, activity book flash cards, and link to the audio book.  Every 6 months the level jumps some - instead of weaving in words and simple phrases, the program uses what was already taught to expand into more complex ideas and vocabulary.

 

We searched hard for a program for elementary, but either they were too simple and single level, or they were over his head.  We would have done Duolingo but he is using that for Spanish and we like to keep our programs separate.  So our plan is to use One Third Stories for the next two years+ along with First Step En Francais (free!  Whoohoo!), before moving into a middle school program...or something. :laugh:   But the plan has been working well this year - One Third Stories are adorable, the First Step videos are a great complement, and he loves it all. 

 

[RootAnn]

Foreign language has been the most expensive in general. Online classes are expensive overall, but you can find less expensive gems (La Clase Divertida high school, I'm looking at you!) sometimes.

 

Oldest kid is mostly outsourced. Next kid is almost exclusively doing at home high school. Third will probably have a select number of outsourced classes when she gets there, if we can still afford some classes. That's as far as I've planned.

[8filltheheart]

How much is spent is going to be very family dependent. Families who buy complete boxed curricula or sign up for full service providers are going to spend substantially more than families who design courses and grade everything themselves. Some families outsource a lot; some none. Some states subsidize DE during high school; some don't. Even within families, some kids take courses that are expensive and other kids don't take those courses.

 

By far, our Aspie was the most expensive student we have ever had. None of the other kids have required what we provided for him. Our 2nd most expensive was our current college sr bc we paid for multiple DE courses at our local U. No one else has needed that level of DE. Our Dd took multiple foreign languages, but she self-taught 2 and only had a tutor for 1.

 

Over all, I suspect our homeschool costs are minimal compared to most posters on these forums. What people are paying for 1 yr of Classic Conversations would fund my homeschool for multiple kids for multiple yrs.

[lllll]

nm

Edited March 11, 2018 by _______

[Petrichor]

so far(up to 3rd grade now), for us, after outsourced classes (qur'an - $100/mo and "field trips" at $2-$10 a pop, oooh... plus memberships to zoo, museums, etc.) and website memberships (netflix, starfall, poissonrouge, chesskid, etc.)

 

after that it's probably been math (~$60 per year, purchased second hand, not including manipulatives, but could have easily been $120+if I had to purchase it new) and science (well, it will be once I buy that microscope I've been meaning to buy for a couple of years)

 

Or art? I probably spent quite a bit buying all of the supplies the first time around. 

[Fawnmoscato]

Memberships to museums and zoos are our most expensive. They are also the most educationally beneficial though. 

 

Language Arts is our most expensive subject. We are a LA heavy group. I probably spent $300 on materials.

 

Science comes in second. My oldest loves science, so I buy a lot of kits, dissection kits, classes, etc. 

 

History is our cheapest. 

 

Math will become the most expensive as I suspect I will have to outsource it within the next 2 years. 

 

 

[MinivanMom]

Music lessons are easily our biggest expense, but we would pay for those even if our kids weren't homeschooled. 

 

Foreign language has been our most expensive homeschooling subject, because we have needed to pay for online classes and tutors at the upper levels.

 

Generally speaking, high school-level courses have been more expensive than elementary or middle school level courses. But we have spent a lot on books at every level. We have a huge library at this point.

[Lanny]

For DD the most expensive subject was Physics, because a LabPaq was required for each semester. 2 LabPaqs.  I believe the Science courses have always been more, because of the Labs required. That's normal and to be expected.

[prairiewindmomma]

High school classes are just flat out expensive.  Textbooks + lab supplies for chemistry are ranking up there with outsourced classes.

 

I spend more on one class for my oldest than I do for all of my kids, for all of their classes, combined for the year.

[snowbeltmom]

Which subjects wind up costing the most $$$ over the long run?

 

Factoring in the cost of the curriculum, the supplements, the supplies or tuition for classes or tutoring, etc.

Physical Education. followed by AP sciences which are a far-distant second.

[ElizaG]

Physical Education. followed by AP sciences which are a far-distant second.

 

Physical Education here, too.  PE-related driving also has the greatest impact on my time and energy (as I realized when we took a break over the holidays).  And my children are only doing a few activities, all close to home, and none of them at a competitive level.

 

"Backyard PE" is free, but it requires even more of my attention.  Otherwise, it tends to result in expensive doctor visits.  :tongue_smilie:

[regentrude]

Aside from DE at the university: foreign language instruction with a private tutor.

We homeschooled everything else very inexpensively.

 

Extracurriculars were way more expensive than homeschooling.

[SparklyUnicorn]

DE courses and extracurricular stuff

 

 

 

 

[...................]

Math and Science by far

But especially math

 

We hired tutors, paid for DVDs, online classes and even now a 325.00 per month tuition for Mathnasium...

[...................]

:eek: Ouch. I always wondered what they cost.

Price varies by region! We live in the highest COL living area in the entire US tied with Boston so ymmv

 

My dd is lucky in that they allow her to come 5 days per week, usually it’s only two.

 

But that said, it is an AMAZING program and she LOVES it. She went from HATING math even though she knew she was good at it, to

Now she plans to be a math major.

[Bambam]

High school - science - lab equipment is $$$. Luckily we have a couple of other kids doing science together so we can split the cost of the equipment/chemicals/etc. 

[Garga]

Jaw on floor. With 3 littles right now I guess I better start saving. My DH thought we were saving a ton compared to what we paid in private school tuition. Eek!

 

If you search, you can find some cheaper options, but yeah, the big name outsourced classes are $$$$.  

 

The math we use (myhomeschoolmathclass.com--run by a WTM hiver) is $50 a month, so is $400 for 8 months.  What I like about that class is that you pay month by month and if at any time you want to stop the class, you do.  Whatever money you spent, is spent, but you don't owe them any more from the day you quit.  Most of the other online classes require that you pay your $600 (or whatever) up front and if you don't cancel the class after about 2 weeks, they keep your money.  Yuck!  Too bad for you if it's a horrible fit.  Now you've sunk $600 into something and have to pay for a new class on top of it.  I don't like that set up at all, though I understand the teacher has to make a dependable living.  

 

The chemistry we use is through the Currclick website, but they're cutting out any online options this year.  I'm not sure where all those teachers will go  It was only $120 per semester, on sale, for the teacher we chose, so I got a year's worth of classes with the teacher for $240. Unheard of.  

 

The Spanish class is an in-person class through a local tutorial and with their registration fee and tuition, it's about $650.  Oh, and they require uniforms, too, so it's a special pair of pants and two shirts each year on top of the $650.  

 

 

 

Whenever I'm looking for an online class, the very first thing I do is check out the cost.  If it's out of range, I don't take the time to look further into it as I simply won't be able to buy it.  Sort of like on 'Say Yes to the Dress', they say don't try on a dress that's way out of your price range because you'll just be crushed when you can't buy it.  If the price is $700 right away, without even books or supplies, I most likely just can't swing it, unless it was the only outsourced classes.  For me, though, I have to outsource math and science for at least three of the high school years.

 

So, for this year for my oldest, his outsourced classes are $1290--not counting the books and supplies.  Pretty cheap compared to private school, so it's not too, too bad when you think of it that way.  The cost depends on how many classes you need to outsource and from where you buy them. 

 

-----

 

To answer the OP:  anything outsourced is expensive, no matter what the subject is.  We didn't outsource until high school, so I don't know what the prices are like before then.  You have to account for the cost of the class, plus the books and any other supplies. 

 

Lab sciences can be expensive whether they're outsourced or not, if you're going to make it as "real" as you can.  Sure, you can do all the experiments with regular glasses and a pan on the stove, but if you want the student to be familiar with lab equipment, it'll be beakers and a Bunsen burner.  Either way can work (glass jar vs a beaker), but it depends on what you want from the lab class.  

 

Lab supplies can easily be in the $200-300 or more range initially if you want to be fully outfitted.  That's not including the microscope which is an expense all its own.  I got a refurbished one and saved hundreds.  Fortunately, much of the items for a lab can be used for all lab classes for all four years (beakers and graduated cylinders and goggles, etc.) and for all the students in the homeschool, but each year a few specific items or chemicals have to be added to the lab.  So, $200 or $300 (or maybe more...I didn't write down what it all cost to set up last year) for the initial lab setup is pretty good for 4 years and multiple students.  Though, I think I spent about $60 this year to add some chemicals and specific pieces of hardware for this year.

 

I pay $1800 a year on karate lessons for both kids--not counting outgrowing uniforms and taking belt tests, which isn't happening as often now that they're older and the belts are harder to earn (thank goodness.)  That's a huge expense for us.  If my sons weren't homeschooled, they'd have gym class and that would be it.  But my kids tend to want to stay at home and sit too much, so we've chosen karate as their way to be physically active outside the house as they both vehemently refuse to take part in team sports.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Garga

[Farrar]

Dance. I don't even want to think about it.

 

For the things I teach myself... so far science because I buy supplies and it'll be outsourced more often than not in high school whereas I'll keep teaching a lot of humanities stuff myself.

[goldenecho]

That's a tough one, cause really, it depends on love.

 

Like, music (at least with instruments) I think is innately expensive (the instrument alone is often pricey, and if you don't already play lessons are pricey). 

 

But, for me, history is pricey, cause I can't resist buying tons of books online and at book sales and such.  I mean, I could be spending a whole $10 on it if I just used the Story of the World book I bought used and free youtube videos and the library (library has saved me a lot, granted).   But I can't resist buying history books, and even buying used it's added up.  Plus real clay and other things I've bought for crafts.

 

So, cause I love History, it costs me more.  

Edited March 1, 2018 by goldenecho

[lllll]

nm

Edited March 11, 2018 by _______

[8filltheheart]

For any reading this thread who may not be able to outsource things like science and math (for whatever reason), I just wanted to say that it IS possible to do those at home - well - without spending tons of money. AND without being an expert in the subjects. I began by thinking I had to do all the experiments and such for science. But we only got to them randomly and I quickly realized I would probably not be able to keep up any kind of intense lab type work with 5 (average) kids. So I just had them focus on books of all kinds - library books, textbooks, experiment books that were more 'fun' than anything else, etc. If they wanted to do any experiments, I did my best to find the supplies. But that wasn't the norm in our hs'ing.

 

So fast forward to their college years. All 5 have taken lab courses in college. All 5 have done very well in those courses, mostly A's. At least one (our only science major - physics) is routinely told by his professors that his labs and lab notebooks are excellent and that he is the professor's "favorite student".

 

I seem to remember discussions on these boards over the years about how to do lab writeups and such. There are people here who have that expertise and are more than willing to share ideas on how to teach kids how to do those writeups, too. And the process of writing up labs, etc., can be applied to all kinds of things - not just experiments using expensive supplies.

 

Also, a couple of our kids have done math minors. All despite our having only done math at home without tutors, outsourcing, etc. It IS possible to do so many of these subjects and do them well, at home, cheaply, without being an expert in the subject or breaking the bank. :)

 

fwiw ...

Yes. Also, lots of virtual labs are available today.

 

Opencourseware courses are available, too, for free.

Edited March 1, 2018 by 8FillTheHeart

[desiree77]

11th and 12th grades for one son have been the cheapest here because of dual enrollment. This year I've spent about $120 renting books for 5 classes. And $120 in math curriculum at home. That's it. I spent more for his high school football and baseball programs. About $600 each.

 

9th and 10th are definitely more expensive because of outsourced classes. At least 2 each year, around $450-700 each. These are mostly local, in-person classes. Last year he was taking 2 Landry classes when it got shut down and I don't think we'll ever do another online class.

 

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[Garga]

For any reading this thread who may not be able to outsource things like science and math (for whatever reason), I just wanted to say that it IS possible to do those at home - well - without spending tons of money.  AND without being an expert in the subjects.  I began by thinking I had to do all the experiments and such for science.  But we only got to them randomly and I quickly realized I would probably not be able to keep up any kind of intense lab type work with 5 (average) kids.  So I just had them focus on books of all kinds - library books, textbooks, experiment books that were more 'fun' than anything else, etc.  If they wanted to do any experiments, I did my best to find the supplies.  But that wasn't the norm in our hs'ing.  

 

So fast forward to their college years.  All 5 have taken lab courses in college.  All 5 have done very well in those courses, mostly A's.  At least one (our only science major - physics) is routinely told by his professors that his labs and lab notebooks are excellent and that he is the professor's "favorite student".

 

I seem to remember discussions on these boards over the years about how to do lab writeups and such.  There are people here who have that expertise and are more than willing to share ideas on how to teach kids how to do those writeups, too.  And the process of writing up labs, etc., can be applied to all kinds of things - not just experiments using expensive supplies. 

 

Also, a couple of our kids have done math minors.  All despite our having only done math at home without tutors, outsourcing, etc.  It IS possible to do so many of these subjects and do them well, at home, cheaply, without being an expert in the subject or breaking the bank.  :)

 

fwiw ... 

 

Yes, this is very true, especially about labs.  I think I wrote above that you can buy all the equipment, or you can use non-official equipment for a lot of things.  And someone else posted that you can always observe a lab online somewhere (though it doesn't have the same impact as doing it.)

 

You can learn to write a lab report for free, for sure.

 

If you know enough, you don't have to outsource anything.  And if you do outsource, it's possible to find classes more in the $400 or less range rather than the $600-700 range.  Or you can find opencourseware online for free, but I've struggled to find the free things that work the same way as a paid class.  Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, dunno.

 

It can be done cheaper, but it depends upon the teacher's skill level, the student's skill level, and what free or cheap resources you manage to uncover.

 

So, yes, if you're unsure whether you can afford it, there are other options.  It all depends on many, many factors.  

Edited March 1, 2018 by Garga

[...................]

And just wait until you have four kids in college, like I currently do. That makes any homeschooling expenses seem like Ramen noodles!

 

Yep, in order to have enough for each of our kids to have enough for TWO years of college (one living at home and one living in the dorm) each, we are saving literally thousands per month.  It's a huge huge sacrifice.  AND the one planning to live at the college for two years has to save about 10k throughout high school, AND contribute to his car insurance.  

[...................]

I personally feel like high school was a no-go for doing everything truly at-home in my house.  My kids are very intelligent, higher IQ than I am, and faster, quicker at learning.  My daughter is a dyslexic outside the box INFP and I am a linear-memorize queen, straight line ESTJ.  It would literally be a disaster ....

 

I think people should plan to save ahead of time for high school.  With the kids outpacing you, hormones, personality differences, desire for more independence, and so many other factors, you should go into it assuming you'll need to pay for at least a few expensive outsourced online classes each year.  Then once your kids can DE that actually SAVES money.  In my state even paying full price for CC is cheaper than good online classes for homeschoolers.  So, ahead of time, check into when your kids can DE and make a financial plan accordingly.

 

TOO MANY homeschoolers I know fell close to that educational neglect category in high school because they just couldn't emotionally handle the daily grind of teaching/grading/accountability any more and the kids, frankly, were pretty tired of mom.  Outsourcing is a wonderful option.  It gives you accountability, a fresh outlook, different and interesteing ideas, a little interaction with peers (even if it's online they do enjoy a little chatting in the text box with kids their own age), and all the benefits of having someone who loves the subject, teach that subject.

 

It's absolutely not necessary but I think it should be something you think about, ahead of time.

[SkateLeft]

In my 18 or so years of homeschooling, my biggest academic expense has been high school science. 

 

I bought the best quality lab science kits I could find, alongside textbooks, supplemental books, resources and equipment. 

 

I'm not counting music or sports. I've probably spent more on short track speedskates over the years than on anything else for my kids. I'm sure music and athletic expenses far outweighed any of our academic expenses.

 

But for academics, it was definitely high school science.

Edited March 1, 2018 by ghostwheel

[KAM]

If we're counting sports, definitely that. We have four kids and four different very involved sports and I am afraid to even add up that cost. Aside from that, our biggest expense has been community college classes and high school science at home. I have one doing biology this year and I really wanted to do it "right" so I bought everything. I'm not sorry, we're using it all, but it wasn't cheap!

[desiree77]

I count sports that would be offered as athletics in high school. I wouldn't be paying for them in public school. These include regular season volleyball, basketball, football, baseball and softball for my high schoolers. I don't count sports that would be extra anyway, like club volleyball or martial arts.

 

If you are comparing costs of public school versus homeschool, sports are a very real consideration for kids who want them.

 

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[SkateLeft]

I count sports that would be offered as athletics in high school. I wouldn't be paying for them in public school. These include regular season volleyball, basketball, football, baseball and softball for my high schoolers. I don't count sports that would be extra anyway, like club volleyball or martial arts.

 

If you are comparing costs of public school versus homeschool, sports are a very real consideration for kids who want them.

 

I think this varies depending on where you live. Even for public school students here athletics are expensive. Our state allows homeschoolers to participate in sports at the public school. My middle two played regular season sports (rugby, track, nordic skiing) at the public high school. 

 

We had to purchase all our own equipment and uniforms, and the mandatory athletic fee, which is required of *all* students, including those enrolled at the school, was very high. It shocked me really, that public school students have to pay extra for so many things. I honestly thought that stuff would be included, because it was when I was in high school. 

 

So where we live at least, high school athletics aren't any more expensive for homeschoolers than they are for public school kids. They're just expensive for everyone. I'm just glad my kids never got into hockey. That's where it gets REALLY crazy here. 

[FarmingMomma]

Music lessons and instruments, but we were paying those before we started homeschooling.

Foreign language: latin DVDs for my youngest aren't cheap, and my oldest does ASL.  I just spent way too much money signing up for ASL at open tent academy for next year!

History and science: not the curriculum itself, although some of the science textbooks aren't cheap! The real expense is all the extra books related to whatever history or science they are studying at the time.  

The cost of gas to drive them to music lessons and all of their numerous 4-H activities.

[frogger]

I think this varies depending on where you live. Even for public school students here athletics are expensive. Our state allows homeschoolers to participate in sports at the public school. My middle two played regular season sports (rugby, track, nordic skiing) at the public high school.

 

We had to purchase all our own equipment and uniforms, and the mandatory athletic fee, which is required of *all* students, including those enrolled at the school, was very high. It shocked me really, that public school students have to pay extra for so many things. I honestly thought that stuff would be included, because it was when I was in high school.

 

So where we live at least, high school athletics aren't any more expensive for homeschoolers than they are for public school kids. They're just expensive for everyone. I'm just glad my kids never got into hockey. That's where it gets REALLY crazy here.

It does get expensive if you want private lessons for music and play travel teams or even extra curricular sports.

 

On the other hand if you had a child not interested in a specific sport then they could still take PE in school and get reasonable access to a gym and get their excercise in.

 

 

In my district my children could get instruction from the public school teacher on how to read music, basic instrument instruction (though probably not for my daughter's instrument), and practicing together which helps with timing etc. I learned to play in school. My family never had money for private instruction. At home it's parent taught or paying for outside classes of some sort.

 

But you are right it's not an apples to apples comparison if you are comparing hockey or figure skating or any indivualized instruction as just PE or band. To get that level of instruction or equipment would require parents paying for it as an extra curricular.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I think science is looking the most expensive for us (but we're only to 4th grade and looking forward a couple years). Mostly because of the supplies and extra things needed (like a good microscope). Plus my DD9 LOVES science so we end up doing a lot of other science things besides our main curriculum like the Spangler monthly box, books, encyclopedias, other random kits....

 

Extra curriculars and SN therapies end up costing more, but I'm not counting those because they are things we'd have to pay for even if we were doing PS or private school. 

[G5052]

Outsourcing in high school was expensive, although I did some bartering for certain subjects.

 

My older one did Latin 3-5 with Lukeion, and my younger one did a local history/lit/writing combo that was right up her alley. I paid for all of that.

 

I appreciate that some people teach their own all the way through, but I had to delegate a few subjects. I'm glad I did.

[Dmmetler]

Herpetology. Conference travel and professional memberships don’t come cheap.

 

PE has tended to be expensive, too-DD does best when she has physical activity almost daily. At one point, that was dance, cheer, and gymnastics. Now it’s just cheer, but it’s a travel team.

 

DD is doing most of her classes at the CC, so that adds up, too. Although it’s less than most online options at a similar level.

[Momto4inSoCal]

Dance has been the most expensive and the least benificial educationally. My DD's loves it though and they are a part of a great group where all of us have connected really well so we keep going and keep paying... 

 

Stem class is really expensive but it is definitly worth it. Also I agree with everyone else that outsourcing subjects get's really expensive. I plan on having a combinition of outsourced vs home taught classes to keep cost down. Language and Math will be outsourced. History, Science, and language arts will be taught at home. 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Momto4inSoCal

[Gil]

It looks like foreign language is going to cost us quite a bit, but I'm not sure if the cost is just the initial phases or if it will wind up being a long term thing.

 

Also, my kids are close in age, so buying every textbook x2 is going to eat up a lot of space, though the books themselves (older editions, for between 1-10 dollars) aren't that expensive.