Is homeschooling expensive?

Question

Don't mean to be nosy but on the average what does it cost per year?

Answer 1

I don't really know, but I know that both of my sisters do it with multiple children, and neither has a lot of money

Answer 2

Not the easiest question to answer because there are many factors to consider.

Homeschooling does not have to be more than buying the usual supplies and using the Internet, the library, and what is already available in your home, but the cost of home education can add up if the children take many field trips or classes for courses you don't do with them, for example, piano lessons, karate, swim, knitting, drama, etc.

Costs will vary depending on the style of home learning the family does, how many children are home educated and what their individual interests are, whether the children have special needs requiring specialized curriculum or tutoring, speech therapy or another service, and also how the family manages their finances.

Raising children is expensive too if we buy all the expensive toys and gadgets so I have found that the more experienced the parent or homeschooling, the more money savvy they are.

Answer 3

It's up to parents how much they spend on curriculum (there are MANY choices), but the quote above $450/year for K-8th IS accurate.

High school can cost more, depending on whether you want outside transcripts, classes taught by others, etc.

HOWEVER it costs LESS for younger siblings because some material can be re-used!! I can spend $200/year or less on a younger sib.

I homeschool 3 kids for much less the cost of 1 kid at a private school. This makes it an attractive option!

Answer 4

In terms of procuring curricula and supplies, you're looking at probably $250-1000 per year, depending on what books you're able to resuse from kid to kid, what you buy new vs. used, and whether you go in for a pre-packaged curriculum. Buying books yourself is cheaper, but takes more time as you have to sit down and sort through them all to make a decision about what you want your child to read.

That's the real "cost" of homeschooling. Time. One parent will probably not be able to earn income outside the home while the kids are being homeschooled. It's possible, but difficult, and tends not to work well. So in opportunity cost you could be talking about tens of thousands of dollars in lost potential income. If one parent is staying home anyway, this won't be any additional strain on the family economy, but if both parents are working full time, the cost to homeschool will be steep.

Answer 5

It can cost anywhere from $25 per child per year to as much as you would spend on a private school if you enroll your child into charter school.

An average cost is between $250 to $500 for curriculum based homeschooling.

Unschooling is free except for all the trips to the library you'll make and the paper, pens, crayons every student needs.

Answer 6

The cost is really up to you. There are very expensive programs like A Beka and then there are people that pick and choose books from different companies or catalogs. I would say $500 a year is average.

Answer 7

According to the Christian Home Educators of Colorado and homeschoolinformation.com, homeschooling costs about $450 per child per year.

Answer 8

We spend about $40 a year on actual schholing stuff. We don't buy all that boxed curriculum. We find textbooks at the county school's obsolete books office, and they are free.

We spend more money on things like memberships to the zoo and scouts and the YMCA.

It's really NOT expensive if you stay away from all those boxed curriculum sets.

Answer 9

Check virtual schools via internet in your area. Many regular public districts are offering it as an alternative to traditional and home schooling. Also it is free and many provide the computer equipment. The district you choose simply takes the state and federal dollars allocated for you son/daughter to cover the costs.

Answer 10

I buy most of mine off eBay and save money! My son's curriculum is $300 new. I found it new off of eBay for $150. I will keep it and use it for my girls. The girls will be about $100. Since they are only 17 months apart, I plan the same lesson for both but at two levels (mostly). I look for reproducible or reuse able lessons to save money.

Answer 11

i was homeschooled for the last 3 years of my high school education. it cost around $700 for all 3 years.


i dont think thats too expensive.