How Much Does it Cost to Homeschool?

Homeschool Books — Photo cred: Kimberly Farmer

“Homeschool”…a word that has become ALL too familiar. Amidst the pandemic and school closures we’ve all had to adjust our lives a little (or a lot). However, homeschooling isn’t a path that many of you thought that you’d ever be taking. And it can be so overwhelming. How much does it cost to homeschool?

What curriculum should I buy? And from where?

Are my kids going to end up dumb as a box of rocks because I have zero patience and just as little energy?! AH!

It’s ok, mama. Take a breath.

Homeschooling does not have to break you

I’ve been homeschooling my children since they were 2. I know, this may seem crazy to some and let me tell you I use the term “homeschool” veeeery loosely at that age.

At two, our days mostly consisted of flash cards, free apps to help with fine motor skills, play-doh, coloring, and many other things that probably sit right in your house as it is.

But what about after that?

Ok, so exactly how much does homeschooling cost? Because we can’t do play-doh and flash cards forever, can we?

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as *insert sum here*. Here is a list of a few things you should consider when looking for that magic number.

1. Age

The age of your child makes a huge difference as to the amount you’ll have to invest. A two year old is NOT going to require the same financial investment that a 2nd grader or higher would.

You could spend next to nothing for Pre-K, and have a totally successful student. There are so many free resources that you can take advantage of online right now, and if you’re even the teensiest bit creative you can add onto the free stuff by going more in depth! If you want to check out some of my personal fav’s for this age head on over to my Preschool curriculum page!

And as you would guess the older that a child gets the more they’ll need. My 3rd grader switches between about 7 work books plus a few apps and some online resources that I like too. I also have a page that highlights some of my favorite apps here! The total cost for her curriculum sits around 150-200$ every 6 month or so – not too bad considering what all she’s learning!

Once you get into middle school and high school ( and some start younger too) you’ll probably have to outsource some learning at a homeschooling co-op as your knowledge on the subject matters will naturally reach it’s max.

Homeschool Classroom — *Photo cred: Belinda Fewings*

What’s a homeschool co-op, you ask? It’s basically a “school” for homeschool kids generally made up of a group of families that meet on specific days and/or times for classes. These co-ops can range in price and are usually some where between $500 and $1000 per school year.

Some co-ops have a more college feel where you pay by the class, and the one’s that I have seen have been due monthly. I’ve seen these range in price (usually by age or difficulty) from 20$ per month to 100$. There is usually an application fee for both of some kind.

A co-op group is a great thing to be apart of! You’re babe gets socialized and experiences different teaching styles much like they would in public school just without the restrictions that public school carries.

2. Learning Style

The way that your child learns may not be something that you as a beginner are keen on. It could also be because they are so young that those distinctions have not had the opportunity to show up yet, or possibly because they’ve been at public school where you haven’t needed to know. Actually, if the latter is the case their teacher might have some good insight!

The four learning styles are Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic, and Reading/Writing. Once you’ve figured out your learners style it can help you immensely in deciding which approach to take with them.

But what does that have to do with cost?

I can tell you that you will both be so aggravated trying to force one particular style on a child who would do best with another. Depending on how your kiddo learns best you might need to invest a little more on specific tools or practice techniques that will help them reach their potential. Don’t worry you don’t need a degree in this just get a general idea on the styles and watch your kid work!

Plenty of mamas with multiples end up with one kiddo per learning style! And some have babes who succeed using more than one technique or all of them! Adjusting your technique and honing in on what works best for them will ultimately allow for you and your babe to have the best experience.

*mama advice*

Just remember this…some days just suck.

You’re kid just isn’t getting it. You’ve adjusted your style, you bought every thing within arms reach to make it work, you’ve taught the material for about the millionth time, and it’s driving you nuts! You know you’re kiddo isn’t a dummy dum so what gives?!

Most likely?

Sometimes yo kid just doesn’t want to work.

Aggravated Young Homeschool Girl — Photo cred: Maria Lysenko

Listen mama, it’s oookay. It’s ok to skip a day or 2 or 3. (What holiday can we celebrate for few days? Hmm….Let’s see there’s Arbor day, Flag day, Friendship Day, Pumpkin Spice Latte Day…. cool.)

But for real, it’s ok to say, “Hey, this isn’t working. Let’s stop and come back to it in a bit.”

Keep adjusting, Keep learning, and KEEP taking breaks. This thing can be tough some days, but you got this!

3.Parents curriculum preference/ How much time YOU want to Invest

So obviously you’re super talented, but let’s say teaching is just not your thing. Or maybe you’re ok teaching, but just have NO idea where to start and all the research makes you queasy.

In these instances you may want to opt for outsourcing the teaching or curriculum. This could be anything from purchasing organized curriculum packages, group lessons online, those homeschool co-ops we talked about, or even private tutors.

This is where things can get costly. Some of these packages can go for hundreds of dollars, plus private tutors usually have a price per session or a lump sum for a guaranteed numbers of weeks and/or days.

I’ve seen group lessons online cost as little as 10$ per week for one 30-45 minute session and as much as 200+ for lump sum usually including 30 minutes to 1 hour 1-2 times per week for maybe 12 weeks or so. On the up side, you usually get what you pay for. 🙂

4. Hidden fees

These are those random extras that you might not even think. Some things in this category might include extra gas expenses, extracurriculars, membership fees, and etc.

My kiddos have loved having an aquarium membership or a zoo membership for the year, and that totally counts as a field trip! Plus any classes that they might take ballet, soccer, etc.

When a child is attending a school they usually have some sort of sports opportunity with the school, and the school will help buffer some of the cost. Unfortunately, as a homeschool parent those fees are absorbed by YOU.

Luckily, there are opportunities for some sports that your babe, even as a homeschooler, will be able to participate in through local schools. Some times those can you save a little. It’s usually sports like basketball.

These “hidden fees” can be broad. Usually, memberships are no less than 100$, and classes (ballet, taekwondo, etc) are often a monthly fee somewhere between 20-75$ depending on what and how often you go.

Overall, when you start thinking “How much does it cost to homeschool?” you’re likely to get overwhelmed and bombarded with tons and tons of information about what you should do to keep your child on track.

The most important thing about homeschooling is to remember to give you and your babe a break…especially if it’s your first time. It can have it’s super challenging days, whether you’ve spent nothing or a fortune.

Bonus tip:

Don’t be put off by the homeschool costs, mama. Keep your eye out for free curriculum (Pinterest mamas!) or free community projects or activities! And NEVER underestimate the power of playtime! We make sure play is apart of every homeschool day. It encourages working with different personality types, decision making, problem solving, creativity, P.E….the list goes on! Plus it’s just FUN! And that is what being a kid is ALL about.

See you, mama. <3