The Cost of Homeschooling

It dawned on me that those of you out there exploring homeschooling as an option might be interested in what it'll cost you. : ) Duh, right?

So, let's consider the public school expenses that would have racked up this coming school year and this year's homeschooling expenses so far and projected expenses for the rest of the year.

Public School
Clothes-We'll say $150 for each child. This is the average amount we've spent in the past.

Homeschool
Clothes-$0

Public School
Lunch-$2.20 for 180 days = $396.00 per child!. Given that my kids often times took their lunches, I'll calculate the cost for 90 days, which is $198.00 per child. Now add on the approximately $75 spent on the food for their from-home lunch (a sandwich, chips, juice, fruit) and that's $273.00 for the whole year.

Homeschool
Lunch-$150.00 per child

Public School
Supplies-about $45 per child

Homeschool
Supplies-about $4 per child (I bought 8 binders and paper. We already have pencils, scissors, markers, crayons, etc. galore! In public school, they want all new stuff.)

Public School
Pictures-$40 per child

Homeschool
Pictures-I'll guesstimate $5 per child for the ink and paper required to print our own.

Public School
Curriculum-$0

Homeschool
Curriculum-$232 (dividing the $464 I spent for both Pilot and Storm Chaser by two)

Total
Public School-$976
Homeschool-$391

Note: I did not include the cost of field trips. In public school, the cost is minimal. Homeschoolers can take advantage of free museum days and group discounts (if you go with friends or with a co-op). I'll leave that figuring to you. :D