During the 2020-2021 school year, nearly 3.7 million children in grades K-12 were homeschooled.
The number of homeschooled children has been steadily increasing for years. But the pandemic pushed homeschooling to its highest numbers in history.
If you’ve been thinking about educating your kids at home, you want to know the cost of homeschooling.
Let’s dive into what you need to know about the costs.
What Is the Cost of Homeschooling?
To understand the average cost of homeschooling per year, you need to know the most common expenses homeschooling families pay. These include:
- Curriculum and learning materials
- School supplies
- Field trips
- Extracurricular activities
- Testing fees, if applicable
- Cooperative fees, if applicable
When you consider these expenses, the costs of homeschooling average between $700 and $1,800 per student per year.
However, this figure assumes you will be teaching your children. In families where both parents work, this means losing an income.
If you want to hire a homeschool teacher, it will be more expensive than the listed costs above.
Cost of a Homeschool Teacher
Data from ZipRecruiter shows the average salary for a private homeschool teacher is about $51,000/year or $24.50/hour.
Yet, this number can range widely from $20,000 to $100,000 depending on several factors, such as:
- Education
- Experience
- Location
Before you hire a homeschool teacher, you need to check your state’s laws to see if you can do so. Some states only allow parents to homeschool their children (and only their own children).
Homeschool Tax Deductions
Many people think the federal government offers tax benefits to help homeschooling families recover some costs.
But it doesn’t.
However, a handful of states offer tax breaks to homeschooling families. They are:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
If you live in one of these states, you can contact its Department of Revenue or other related agencies to learn more about the available tax credits.
Cost of Homeschooling vs. Public School vs. Private School
When you send your children to public school, you still have expenses for things like:
- School supplies
- Uniform
- Field trip fees
- Extracurricular activities
- Meals
At first glance, the fees between public school and homeschooling are similar. But, both prices can range widely depending on how many children you have and the activities they participate in.
For example, if your child wants to play the piano, you will have higher extracurricular fees than joining an AYSO soccer team.
On the other hand, private school is often much more expensive than public school and homeschooling. Private schools charge thousands of dollars for tuition fees alone, which don’t include school supplies, uniforms, etc.
Private school is still much more expensive than homeschooling.
If you’re ready to transition your kids from public or private school to homeschooling, learn tips on how to get homeschooled before you start.
Get Started With Homeschooling
Now that you understand the cost of homeschooling, you can decide whether it’s the right decision for you and your family. If you still aren’t sure, continue your research and gather more information.
To read more helpful content on the subject, head over to the Education section. We post new content regularly for our readers.