Homeschooling can be expensive – really expensive, though it doesn’t have to be. High school is a time where many parents reach out to other resources to supplement their child’s learning experience, and those resources aren’t always free. So, what’s the real cost of homeschooling 9th grade? Here’s what we have spent this past year:
How much homeschool cost for 9th grade, 2013-14
- $225 – Currclick Hybrid Mandarin Chinese class
- First semester had a hybrid class option, which cost only $65 since there were a lot less live sessions. The second semester did not have a hybrid option.
- $307.75 – Institute for Excellence in Writing, Student Writing Intensive – C and Teaching Writing with Structure and Style
- The teacher portion of this is the most expensive, and I can use it over and over for multiple kids
- $29 – Standardized testing supplies
- $191.76 – Biology student book, teacher book, and basic supplies (plus, a Kindle book I bought on accident that I thought was for this class)
- $234 – Studio Arabiya online class for one year
- This is discounted for the ad space on this blog
- $11 – Excellence in Literature – American Literature
- Scratch and dent price, plus 50% off with a sale they had for their clearance section
- $22.68 – American Literature books purchased
- We were able to get many for free on Kindle and through the library
- $30.34 – Saxon Algebra 2
- Purchased on eBay
- $10 – AP US History book
- Found at used curriculum sale
- $9.46 – AP US Government book
- Found used on Amazon.com
- $197.30 – Credit by exam specific study materials
- $19 – AP Macroeconomics class through UC Scout
- $300 – Credit by exam test fees
Total: $1587.29
You’ll notice that about 1/3 of the cost is from working toward our credit by exam goals. Also, most of these materials are either reusable within our own family, or things I can sell to make some of the money back.
Curious how this measures up with other homeschooling families? This post is part of an iHomeschool Network blog hop where many of us share what we’ve spent one year of homeschooling. Compare with the other fabulous iHomeschool Network bloggers!
Homeschooling high school gets pricey, doesn’t it? I keep saying “It’s cheaper than the tuition was.” It was definitely a sticker shock, compared to used to elementary school that can be done for very little, but I think with careful choices, you can really get a good value. I know I cringe when I pay for my high schooler’s Spanish tuition (we use Homeschool Spanish Academy), but in reality, I know I can’t get a quality Spanish tutor to my home for $9 an hour so it’s money well spent.
It does! Man, and this coming year half the places I really like are $500+ per class. That’s just not going to happen. Some things you have to pay the premium, but there’s a limited number we can fit in. Glad to have you stop by!
Thanks for sharing this, Shannen. I’m glad to see actual numbers.
I didn’t get a chance to participate in this linkup (trying to dial it back), but we spend more $$ on extra curricular things than the actual curriculum. We use Memoria Press, which is very reasonable.
Rachel does horseback riding twice a week, which costs about $200/month. It’s an investment, and we are looking forward to next year, when she can ‘work’ off some of her lesson costs at the barn.
Thanks for linking up with the Thoughtful Spot!