How Much Does it Cost to Homeschool?

Did you know you can give your kids an exceptional and customized education for less than $400/year?

Homeschooling is the epitome of personalized education tailored to your individual child. You don’t have to be wealthy to provide a cutting-edge education for your kids. Many families of modest means around the country and even the world are part of this exciting movement!

As parents, we know our kids better than anyone and also have the greatest vested interest in seeking out the best curriculum and programs for them. In addition to individualized one-on-one teaching, we are fortunate to live in a time when some of the best teachers in the world are offering content online for free.

Homeschool families also recognize the value of libraries. The famous line from Good Will Hunting is not lost on homeschool families:

“You blew $150k on an education you could have gotten in $1.50 in late fees from the library.” — Good Will Hunting

Here is a typical homeschool curriculum for a 4th/5th grader. The cost is around $250/year and would be about the same for most elementary-aged children. Furthermore, many of the purchases can be used again for siblings. Even if you hire a private tutor or outsource a subject to a group instructor, the cost is still significantly less than paying for private school.

• Horizons Math Books 1 & 2  plus Teacher Manual–$50 used 
• A myriad of free math resources
• First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind Workbook and Teacher’s Manual–$38.50
• Story of the World history CD set–$28.50. We check out many books from the library for our history studies. Here are some great links: Story of the Wold booklists for Volume 1, Volume 2,  Volume 3, Volume 4, and U.S. History book list.  Additionally, we love learning through living history as we travel and go on field trips.

  

  

  

  

• Literature–Free from the library!!! Ambleside Online ,  Common Sense Media as well as many others provide high quality book lists.  Here are some of my family’s favorite books.
• D’Nealian Handwriting–$12
• Science–A textbook and experiments will cost around $100 for the year. We are part of a co-op, and this is a huge help.  Since I don’t love doing experiments myself, it works out great for my kids to do them there.
  

  

  

  Additionally, we love going on science field trips and spending time in nature.

   

   

   

  

  

  

  

  Lastly, you could easily do an entire science curriculum using just library books and free online resources without purchasing any curriculum.

• Writing Composition–Free! If you choose to purchase a curriculum, IEW is very popular and well-done.
• Spelling–Free!
• Foreign Language–There are quite a few ways to learn another language online on sites like Memrise and DuoLingo at no cost. Additionally, many local libraries will give you access to foreign language training as a free resource. For instance, our library offers Rosetta Stone’s online program for free.
• Dance Mat Typing–Free!

I try to buy used curriculum on Amazon when possible. Additionally, Rainbow Resource usually has the cheapest prices for new items.

Experiential learning is one of the most meaningful and memorable ways to learn. We go on a field trip just about every week as well as engage in extremely hands-on learning activities with our weekly co-op. Homeschoolers should make the most of their homeschooling freedom and deliberately seek out experiential learning opportunities. Spending $250 for the year, you could engage in so many wonderful types of experiential learning and could even do it for a lot less. Nature is free. Many organizations and companies offer free field trips, tours and programs.

A big component of homeschooling is customizing to your child’s passions and interests. Sports, music, technology, and music are a few examples of a program each family can uniquely design for their own children.  You will want to factor those costs into your child’s educational plan.

With some research and effort, you can provide your child a cutting-edge, customized education! The homeschool community is extremely generous in sharing information and support. Join our movement. We want you to succeed and are here to help you!

Would you like to share some tips about homeschooling on a budget? How much do you spend homeschooling your kids?

You may also like:

How to Jumpstart Homeschooling Your Child During Covid-19: Curriculum Outlines for each K-8 Grade Level

If You are New to Homeschooling or Thinking About It….

Give Your Kids a World-Class Math Education for Free

Ten Ways to Teach Your Child to Read and Love Books

Need Some K-6 Math Inspiration?

Top Read-Aloud Picks for Your Family

Open Letter to U.S. Education Secretary King Who Says Homeschoolers Would Be Better Off in Public Schools

Free and Fun Spelling Website

You can sign up to follow The Contemporary Homeschooler via email by clicking on the Follow button. Also, join our community on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/TheContemporaryHomeschooler/

Note: If you decide to make a purchase through my blog link, Amazon will pay me a commission for it.  This doesn’t cost you anything additional. These commissions help to keep the rest of my content free. So, thank you!