Public Schoolers-- How much do you pay each year?

[darien]

How much do you pay for school supplies, extracurriculars, fundraisers, etc.?

Some people have suggested that cutting back on my homeschooled son's activities/classes would be a good financial idea for us. Maybe they're right.

I'm curious how much people are paying to educate/socialize kids who are getting a "free" public education.

Ds is 11, btw.

[mammastar2]

Hm, let's see..

School supplies are free in our district, i.e. paper, notebooks, crayons, that kind of thing. Dd actually has brought home some math manipulatives with her math homework (borrowed from the classroom). Nothing so far for projects, but last year the two projects she did used some yarn and some recyclables.

We paid $28 for school pictures (not mandatory).

We pay $4 a week for pizza day (not mandatory).

We paid $5 for the agenda and $1 for the school communication folder.

We haven't had to pay anything for extracurriculars through the school (choir, running - they wear school jersyes for races and return them after, the school pays for bus tickets to take public transit to the races).

I don't know yet about field trips - they try to keep costs down, and I believe all but one of the ones planned this year is a 'walking' one, but there may be a small additional cost.

Fundraisers are optional, obviously. We give dd a dollar for the occasional bake sale. We haven't participated in any of the entertainment book/chocolate sales-type fundraisers, but will donate money directly to the parent council for the holidays. In the spring, we'll spend some money at the school fair. Oh, and dd bought a book for $5 at the book fair.

I can't think of anything else...

ETA: Sorry, hadn't seen you were also asking about other extra curriculars...

We spend about $25 a week on music lessons, and about $120 a year on swim lessons. Dd may also do skating through the community center in the new year. We do other activities around the city on weekends, and have museum memberships.

[Mallori]

Some people have suggested that cutting back on my homeschooled son's activities/classes would be a good financial idea for us. Maybe they're right.

I think it depends on how you are doing financially and how stressed out you are with the scheduling that can come with a very active kid, more than what you pay comparatively.

If you're struggling financially, you maybe should cut back some. We definitely make our kids choose.

[Porcelain Interior]

Originally Posted by darien

How much do you pay for school supplies, extracurriculars, fundraisers, etc.?

Some people have suggested that cutting back on my homeschooled son's activities/classes would be a good financial idea for us. Maybe they're right.

I'm curious how much people are paying to educate/socialize kids who are getting a "free" public education.

Ds is 11, btw.

For my 7th grader I spent $300 for supplies and all her enrollment costs, they nickle and dime you and that's just for the startup.

My little one I spent under $50 for supplies, but there are pictures, annuals, fundraisers, etc. Some of that is optional, but some of it is not.

We don't pay anything to "socialize" our children, I don't believe in socialization for the most part I think it's artificial and just strange as a concept.

We right now aren't doing any extra-curriculars. No music/sports/clubs. *My oldest is in school orchestra, there are only fees for trips. We are working to pay down debt. We do things as a family, I let my kids play with their friends here and there after school, my oldest does occasional gatherings/parties/sleepovers.

When we HS'ed we did Girl Scouts and Ballet.

That's about it. It's a rough year, but I don't consider no extra-curriculars to be deprivation in the least, I consider those things privledges.

[egoldber]

My DD is 7 and a second grader.

Her school supply list was about $20 + $4 for an agenda + $5 for a subscription to the news magazine Time for Kids

My DH just lost his job, so we are not really participating in fundraisers. We declined to sell or buy Sally Foster (wrapping paper, etc.)

We bought the cheapest school photo package which was $12.

The Fall Festival is tomorrow night and I am baking some items for the bake sale and volunteering to sell bake sale items. We'll probably spend about $10 there tomorrow night.

They will have two field trips this year, which are usually about $5 each.

Her only extra right now is Girl Scouts, and that was $20 last year, plus $30 this year. But that's most of it for the year. Although cookie sales are coming up.

Our one big ticket extra item (that I wouldn't have done if we had known about DH's job....) is an extra language class they have after school on Mondays (their early release day). We paid $200 for 20 weeks of Chinese classes (which really isn't bad).

[Bekka]

I spent about $100 for school supplies for 3 kids at school and extra supplies at home. That was for the whole schoolyear. One kid needed a new backpack, which should come in a couple weeks--$35. We pay over $300 per month in music tuition as our children are serious music students and we live in a high COL area. We also are doing one sport activity--aikido, which cost us $70 per quarter per child (2). We have 1 in private preschool--$200 per month.

We pay for the occasional field trip, usually $10 to $15, 2 to 3 times per year, per kid (3 in school).

That's "about it." I'm not counting costumes for plays (we made do with what we had at home).

I probably will spend about $30 more for the year on school supplies when they say they're out of crayons or whatever in February.

My kids in school are 5th grade, 3rd grade, and preschool.

We anticipate orchestra fees and more stuff when they're in middle school. In the summer we have done art classes, ceramics classes, swimming classes, sports classes, dance classes, through the community centers where we live. In different years, probably we spent about $300 for the whole year for all those said classes. We have never done more than music plus one activity outside of school.

[sunnmama]

Dd just started school this year, second grade. She was previously homeschooled.

The supply list was about $10. We did buy some extra stuff for dd (pencil case, binder...), but would have purchased those things if she were still homeschooling.

I am about to send in $11.50 for 2 field trips.

I've paid $10 for books through the book drive (non-mandatory)

I've paid $38 for school pictures (non-mandatory)

I will pay $15 this week for a fundraiser (optional), and paid $8 to join the PTA and get a school directory (optional).

I expect there will be more fundraisers, but we will not participate in all of them. I expect to pay about $30 for a yearbook at some point, maybe another $15 in supplies, and maybe another $15 in field trips.

So, that will be about $150 a year, in my estimation.

When dd was homeschooling, I probably paid more than that in gas just driving her to playgroups and classes each year, lol. I typically paid about $30/mo for classes while homeschooling, and $30ish for a yearbook. Public school is definitely coming out cheaper for us!

[supervee]

About $250 a month. That's for school items/activities and extracurricular activities.

[jen in co]

**School Specific Fees**
School Supplies - $50-80 annually (this includes a backpack every other year or so)
School Fees - $40 (includes some books and a technology fee)
Field Trips - $5-10 each (there will be 3 this year and this covers entry fees and bus)
Hot Lunch - We buy hot lunch 1-3x per week at $2 each time
Scholastic Book Orders $100-150 ($15-$25 each, 6-7x per year)
School Pictures $30-40 (we buy the cheap package in Fall and Spring)
Annual Donation to PTA - $50
Misc. Other PTA Donations (Food, In-Kind Stuff) - $75

**Extracurriculars**
Outdoor Soccer - $160 per year ($80 per season)
Indoor Soccer - $80 ($40 per season)
Piano Lessons - $80-100 per month
Daisies - $50 per year

My DD is currently in 1st grade. Last year in K, in order to have her in the full day (as opposed to 1/2 day) K program, we paid $330 per month for 9 months. It's so nice that's done

[ChristaN]

Supply fees at the start of the year (paid to the school) range from about $20-50 here and then we buy all of the paper, pencils, tissues, flash drive, etc. That cost about $50-75/child. Field trips are generally $10-15 and they have one or two per quarter at most. Fundraisers are not mandatory, of course, but we try to contribute to the tune of about $20-30/child. We order books through the Scholastic book orders -- usually about $100/semester/child at most.

All together, I'm guessing $400/year/child.

eta: I didn't include extracurricular activities that are not sponsored through school on this list.

[octobermom]

umm not sure mine goes to a Charter..
Uniforms we payed like $12 per shirt and bought 6 I'll need to get long sleeved at some point...
uniform pants skirts maybe another $80?
supplies the list actually wasn't very long maybe around $30 and likely another $10 or so through the year to replace certain items.
Funraiser field trips maybe $5-10 a month?? (this could be really high)
SO I'd say around $250-$350???


Deanna

[octobermom]

FWIW this week alone..
Teacher asked for a new box of crayons to replace worn down broken ones
$1.50
scholostic books this was optional
$5 for 3 books
field trip money for trip to local pumpkin patch next Wednesday $5
entrence fee for a school "fall festival" on the 31ist $4 for entrence fee plus a "snack"

Deanna

[EFmom]

We do no fundraisers. We send the PTA a voluntary $100 at the beginning of the school year and we are done.

By shopping sales, I spend a fairly minimal amount on supplies for two kids, maybe a total of $30 per year.

My older daughter has started taking private violin lessons from an amazing teacher, who used to teach at one of the finest conservatories in North America. They are $160/month. She also gets very good lessons at public school, so if we were strapped that could get cut, but I'm thrilled that this woman is in our town and willing to tutor.

She also takes Tae Kwon Do, at $100/month.

Little sister takes ballet, tap and gymnastics for a total of $84/month.

We don't do activities for socialization. We do them because the kids love them, and they aren't offered in elementary school.

[CarrieMF]

10yo DD - Grade 5
$20 school fees
Approx $20 for supplies
$20 for shoes
$30 for backpack
$7 for new headphones(youngest dd got the headphones she was using)
$4 for new lunchkit
$10 for 2 hot lunches. They have hot lunch once a month & it's approx $2-4 depending on what they're having
$42 for pictures
Bookfair is next week, I usually allow them $10-$12
I've spent approx $15 on scholastic book orders for her already

Outside of school
$60 for Judo Gi
$270 for Judo

7yo DD - Grade 2
$20 school fees
Approx $20 for supplies
$20 for shoes
$30 for backpack
$4 for new lunchkit
$10 for 2 hot lunches. They have hot lunch once a month & it's approx $2-4 depending on what they're having
$42 for pictures
Bookfair is next week, I usually allow them $10-$12
I've spent approx $15 on scholastic book orders for her already

Outside of School
$115 for Tap leotard, tights, shoes, shorts, bodysuit and bag
$360 for tap
$5 for Brownie Badge Sash(already had the shirt & scarf)
$.50 each week for Brownie Dues
$95 for Brownie registration

6yo DD - Grade 1
$20 school fees
Approx $20 for supplies
$20 for shoes
$30 for backpack
$4 for new lunchkit
$10 for 2 hot lunches. They have hot lunch once a month & it's approx $2-4 depending on what they're having
$21 for pictures(thrid child gets them half price)
Bookfair is next week, I usually allow them $10-$12
I've spent approx $15 on scholastic book orders for her already

Outside of school
$115 for Ballet leotard, tights, shoes, skirt, bodysuit and bag
$360 for Ballet
$.50 each week for Sparks Dues
$95 for Sparks registration(already had her uniform)

The school does very few fundraisers. They're having one next week & Telus will match whatever the school makes. It all goes to the breakfast program. I'll probably send $10 for each kid & then get a tax receipt.

The youngest needed new winter boots(and the oldest might too), the oldest might need a new winter jacket. They all got new mitts & hats. These are all things that they would have needed whether they were in school or not so I didn't include them.

My oldest may participate in the city wide school floor hockey, but that won't cost us anything but gas to drive her to games that aren't at our school. Any school fieldtrips, clubs & programs don't cost us anything.

[psyche]

School:
$60: Once-a-year field trip contribution**
~$10: Backpack (bought one on clearance last year and it's still going strong)
$0: school supplies supplied by school
$15: school shirt*
$20: ice cream social fundraiser*
$5: yearbook*

*optional - anybody who can't afford one gets it for free
**semi-optional - anybody who can't afford it either doesn't pay or pays what they're able to pay, other people donate above and beyond, the school's governing body makes up any difference and pays the classrooms $60/student for the year of field trips

Non-school extra-curriculars:
Probably over a thousand dollars between different athletic classes and a few summer camps.

I don't count book-fairs and scholastic book orders because we're big book lovers and I'm going to co-opt them all in the future for my future-job.

[mata]

$500-1k a year in donations

The PTA provides school supplies for all the classes. This past year they purchased about 20 picnic benches for recess areas, outside classrooms (we're outdoors year round here.) They fund impromptu field trips, afterschool enrichment programs, achievement recognitions, etc.-all of these things make me feel it's money well spent.

[Kirsten]

Originally Posted by darien

How much do you pay for school supplies, extracurriculars, fundraisers, etc.?

Some people have suggested that cutting back on my homeschooled son's activities/classes would be a good financial idea for us. Maybe they're right.

I'm curious how much people are paying to educate/socialize kids who are getting a "free" public education.

Ds is 11, btw.

Well, if he was in school, would you get a part time or full time job? This paycheck should be factored in as well. And I won't count extracurriculars as we'd do those either way; I don't consider them associated in any way with "school". And half of lunch ticket cost would be spent on feeding her at home, so that cost isn't really a true cost in full. And field trip fees and Scholastic books are both costs that you'd pay if homeschooling - but likely more as you'd pay to get two or more of you into whatever it is plus gas and mileage on your car, instead of just one fee for him to go with school. You'd still buy him books. Many of these costs you'd still incur whether you homeschooled or sent him to school.

My dd1 is 12 and in 7th grade in public school this year.

**School Specific Fees**
School Supplies - I didn't keep track but I'd guess $50-80 annually - but you'd spend some homeschooling plus all the new curriculum
Backpack - We splurged on one she LOVED this year - think it was $40
School Fees - $200 (includes lunch ticket, PE shirts, band fees, sports participation fees for two sports, yearbook, field trips, etc)
Scholastic Book Orders $100-150 ($15-$25 each, 6-7x per year)
School Pictures $30-40 (we buy the cheap package in Fall and Spring)
Annual Donation to PTA - $50
Misc. Other PTA Donations (Food, In-Kind Stuff) - $75

I think - depending on how you homeschool - you could save a lot if he went to school, especially if you went to work part or full time.

[3pink1blue]

My oldest DD just started public school after being homeschooled. It is far more expensive to send her to public school. We were using a very inexpensive curriculum and all in all I spent maybe $300 a year.

For PS, I had to buy a whole bunch of supplies, but they didn't tell me that until the first day of school (and let me tell you, going through walmart, on the hottest day of the year, in labor, trying to buy school supplies is NOT FUN!)

Every week or so we are asked to do stupid fundraisers - i say stupid because its all expensive stuff. Expensive for us, anyway. Like entertainment book sofr $20 - except the coupons area ll for very expensive restaurants that I couldn't afford coupon or not, and resorts and things like that. I would never use it. Also magazine subscriptions. No candy bars. I would buy candy bars.

PLus you run into the hassle of having to buy certain clothes. Before we put DD in school, we pretty much let her wear what she wanted, but now that she is in school, I think its important that she fit in.

School lunch is $10 a week here, plus DD often eats breakfast which is $5 a week.

All in all I am happy with our decision to put DD in PS, but it has been quite costly. And it annoys me, having to buy all the supplies and do all the fundraisers. We live in the wealthiest school district on this side of the state - why do I have to buy a box of kleenex for the class? They can't even provide kleenex? Or pencils?

/rant

[darien]

Originally Posted by Kirsten

I think - depending on how you homeschool - you could save a lot if he went to school, especially if you went to work part or full time.

I was doing ft home childcare until this fall. Now I'm working pt and looking for a wahm job. I have a 4 year old who would not do well in preschool or daycare, so I'd probably be working pt whether my older ds was in school or not.

[UUMom]

I have one public schooler (14), and two hsers.

I have paid $100 for my schooler to play in the music program for the year. (Thankfully we do like & respect the amazing program). He's using the same LL Bean pack I bought him 5 years ago when he was hs'd. (All my kids have the same large pack).

I bought a music photo of his program, with one of him alone playing one of his intrsutments. I thought I wasn't going to, but dang, he looked cute (Grrrrr). That was $25.

Supplies-
Paper, pens & pencils. 4 3 ring binders. Around $25? He uses a calculator. but our family already had several different calculators, & I am not sure which one he uses for school currently.

He brings his lunch from home.

Plus, I've donated $100 to the music program. Sometimes in the form of outright checks because I think they are so amazing, and sometimes cash for some fund-raising baked goods at events and town GC booklets (for various discounts at local book stores, shoe stores, restaurants etc).

Let me know if there is a hsing thread asking this question. Or maybe not. I probably don't want to add that up.

ETA: You wanted extra curricluar, which I didn't realize at first.

Year 'round: $100/mos music lessons, sometimes more, if he is wanting that. Sometimes less , depending on need. We do private lessons. (He is a musician; it's his passion & he plays a few different instruments. We think what we pay privately is bargain, and he does get daily music lessons at his public high school, which is his second main reason for attending).

$100 for town baseball (Summer)
$100 for town tennis (Summer)