Just as no two families are alike, no two families will have the same homeschooling costs. It is most likely that your homeschool budget will be in proportion to your living budget. If you would normally spend a lot on education, you will continue. If you currently spend very little on education, chances are your costs will not increase. The following list will show the average costs of homeschooling.
Curriculum: Homeschool curriculum can cost several thousand dollars a year per child, or it can be practically free. You can purchase an online homeschool program complete with online teachers, a “school in a box” set or a book that points you to free homeschool resources and lesson plans on the internet. When averaging these things together, the median price for homeschool curriculum is $250.00 per child per year.
Supplementary materials: In addition to your homeschool curriculum, you might want to purchase supplementary materials that your child might enjoy. There are electronic learning games, CD ROMs, and workbooks that give your child the opportunity to learn while having fun. A parent can also find such free materials on the internet by doing a search for “free learning games”. Many of these free games require you to purchase a subscription after a few plays. However, your child can always move on the next new game. The average cost of supplementary materials is approximately $60.00 per year.
Physical education: For physical education, many homeschooling parents sign their children up for sports teams, swimming, or martial arts programs. Of course, many parents who do not homeschool do the same. If a parent does not have the money to pay for these programs, they can create their child’s physical education program. They can have the child swim, bike ride, skate, and do other outdoor activities at no cost. Sports teams cost about $500.00 or more per season, martial arts programs are approximately $120.00 per month, and swimming lessons are about $50 per month. The median cost for physical education programs is $600.00 per year.
Extra curricular activities: Extra curricular activities such as fine Arts programs, science labs, and photography clubs can be very costly, or very cheap. You may find these programs in arts and science museums, or you can join a homeschool co-op where parents band together to share their knowledge. You can also choose to send your child to an educational summer camp program. Expect to pay anywhere from $100- $2000.00 per year, if you choose to pay for these activities.
Incidental fees: Just like in public schools, there are incidental fees that are involved in homeschooling. You will need to have a computer if you if you are taking advantage of free homeschooling resources costing $600- $1000.00 plus internet access costing approximately $40.00 per month. You may also choose to join homeschool associations at the cost of $25.00 or more per year. In addition, you will want to pay for things like plays, trips to the Zoo and other incidentals. This will average to about $250.00 per year per child.
Looking at the costs of homeschooling, one might notice most of these things would be paid for even if the child were going to public school. Therefore, you will also want to consider the things you are NOT paying for since your child is not in school. Your clothing budget will be cut in half. Your child’s lunch will be less than half what the public schools charge. You will need to re-stock the teachers supply closet several times a year. Also, keep in mind that your homeschool organization fees will take the place of school fees. Once you add up your homeschooling costs, subtract out the items you would already pay for, and then add back in your savings, you will find the cost of homeschooling to be negligible.
