QUOTE OF THE DAY
From the proprietor of homeschool.com (quoted in an article about the “business” of home education):
“A general rule of thumb is that homeschooling costs more than public school, but less than private school,†Kochenderfer said.
Yeah, more than “free” and less than 30 thou a year.
UPDATE: This fact is not, in fact, true:
In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that there were 2.1 million home-schooled students in the United States.
The title of the report? “1.1 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2003”
5 Responses to “QUOTE OF THE DAY”
 Comment by Jill March 31st, 2006 at 7:58 am |
Not agreeing with the article the way it was written, but I will agree with the premise. Giving up a full salary to educate my only child certainly makess the cost of homeschooling more than paying for private school (which would enable me to work full time). Princeton Day School costs $24,000 a year, I’d easily make double that. Instead, I compromise: work part time and homeschool 🙂 |
 Comment by Audrey March 31st, 2006 at 11:42 am |
I work part-time and homeschool, too, but that does not mean that I would be working a full-time job if I DIDN’T homeschool. My husband and I run a mixed farm in addition to our other jobs and homeschooling (and parenting!). Also, public school is not free, folks. Look at how much they are getting from YOUR individual taxes. Think of that as how much you are paying to send your kid to school. If you don’t have kids, or you are homeschooling, you’re just out the dough. It costs the taxpayers quite a lot of money PER CHILD to “school” them. In our division, it is $6800 per year per child. I know I spend WAY less than that to homeschool my son. The way I look at it, public school is FAR more expensive than homeschooling. |
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Comment by Jill March 31st, 2006 at 12:04 pm |
While I certainly agree that public school is really expensive (our local district in NJ spends $14,000 per student), it still isn’t as costly as homeschooling, when you look at the cost from an “income lost” perspective. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but the fact is, if I was able to work, even at a typical part time job, I’d be making $25,000 with benefits, doing what I do. I love homeschooling my daughter, and I chose to do so from day 1, but it is an expensive choice (worth it, but still expensive!). |
 Comment by COD March 31st, 2006 at 2:30 pm |
The financial difference is not nearly as great as you think. |
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Comment by Jill March 31st, 2006 at 10:24 pm |
“Then subtract out vehicle wear and tear, maintenance, gas (no small expense at $2 a gallon) work wardrobe, lunches out, etc.” See, so many of these expenses you talk about just aren’t any different for me. Clothing cost? I’m a chemist, in a lab. I wear chinos or jeans. Which is exactly what I wear at home. Lunches out? I eat out more with my kid then I ever did (or do) while working, because there I brown bag it. Car expense/gas LESS when you homeschool? Come on – the term “car schooling” was copyrighted for a reason! I put on more miles as a homeschooler than I ever did commuting every day! I know, I’m one of those weird people who not only keeps cards for years and years, but also keeps a mileage log 🙂 Taxes and afterschool care- ok, that I can agree with. Otherwise, none of the expenses for my family are any different with me being home than me working. Maybe because I don’t have a big fancy wardrobe and a lot of fancy lunches when I’m working (oh, and we vacation as much, if not more than we did when I was working full time!) |