Back to School Costs

Posted by Lorren on August 24, 2009

I finally got around to purchasing the last of my daughter’s school books for this year. I spent around $260, and tomorrow I’ll be ordering another $30 of books for my toddler’s preschool year. This is in addition to the approximately $50 or so I spent on school and office supplies for the year, and the amount of money I spent last year on her books. We are finishing up the last half of Apologia Astronomy, BJU Science 3, and BJU Heritage Studies 3 this year. We will also be doing Story of the World Volume II this year (which I just purchased). My daughter enjoyed SOTW Volume 1.

Fortunately for me, my husband is a college student, and we always receive his grant money towards the end of August. However, back to school can cost a lot for many people, even public school students. According to one British newspaper, more than half of students were having trouble affording their back to school costs. According to Youthnoise.com, the average family will spend $73 on school supplies. The National Retail Federation estimates that families will spend $100 per child on school supplies! Often, teachers require that students bring in a specific brand, which could contribute to the cost. If you are still shopping for school supplies this year, it might not be too late to save money.

The other costs that are taxing families are costs that the public schools charge. Schools are supposed to be free, but according to this discussion, some schools are charging up to $600 in registration fees! I think I spent about that much in books for my daughter’s homeschool last year, and I get to keep all the books! Of course, as she gets older and I have to purchase laboratory equipment like microscopes, my costs will go up, but I get to keep the microscopes, and reuse them. Other schools in California are supposedly asking for $400 to “help out,” in addition to their regular fees.

When I started homeschooling, I thought that it might cost more money, and I was worried about the cost. The $300 that I spent this year on books is a bargain compared to the amount of money some public school students are spending. It will probably cost me more next year, but I still get to keep the books.