Plan your real yearly costs for up to 6 children — with sibling curriculum reuse savings, per-subject line items, and a monthly breakdown.
Set your currency and number of children in Settings, then click each child's tab. For each child, enter their name, grade level, and adjust the editable cost fields for every expense category. For children after the first, set the curriculum reuse discount — the percentage of curriculum cost you save by passing down non-consumable materials (textbooks, teacher guides, resource kits) to a younger sibling. All totals update instantly.
Your largest likely expense. Includes textbooks, teacher's guides, workbooks, and all-in-one packaged programs. All-in-one boxed programs cost $300–$1,000 per child per year; à la carte subject selections typically run $200–$600. Non-consumable items (teacher guides, reference books, most textbooks) can be reused by siblings — use the reuse slider to model this savings.
Per-child items that cannot be reused: fill-in workbooks, lab journals, writing notebooks. Budget $40–$150/child/year. These are always purchased new for each child regardless of the reuse discount.
Art materials, science kits, manipulatives, stationery, printer ink, folders. Typical range: $100–$300/child/year, lower in subsequent years as durable items are shared.
Learning platform subscriptions (math apps, reading programs, video courses), streaming educational content. Ranges from $60–$600/year depending on the number of services. Some subscriptions cover multiple children under one account.
Homeschool co-op registration fees, class fees per subject, and umbrella school enrollment fees (in states where required). Costs vary from free parent-led co-ops to $300–$800/year for structured academic co-ops.
Standardized testing is required in some states. Nationally-normed tests (TerraNova, IOWA, Stanford) typically cost $30–$100 per student. Some states allow free testing at local public schools. See your state's requirements at HSLDA's State Law Map.
Sports leagues, music lessons, art classes, dance, martial arts, and other enrichment activities. Sports registration: $150–$800/season; music lessons: $100–$200/month. These are often a family's second-largest expense after curriculum.
Museum visits, nature preserve admissions, science center days, historical site tours. Budget $100–$250/child/year; many venues offer homeschool discount days that significantly reduce this.
Optional private tutoring for challenging subjects. Private tutors run $20–$80/hour; group sessions $15–$30/hour. Enter your expected annual spend here.
When you buy non-consumable curriculum for your first child — teacher manuals, reference books, science kits, most textbooks — those materials can be passed to younger siblings. Only consumable workbooks need repurchasing. The reuse slider in the calculator models this: setting it to 60% means the second child's curriculum costs 40% of the full price (only consumables plus any new-level items). Families with 3–4 children and non-consumable curricula routinely reduce per-child curriculum cost to under $100/year for younger siblings.
Tip: curricula specifically designed for reuse include Charlotte Mason living-books approaches, Tapestry of Grace, and many classical programs. Standard workbook-based programs (Abeka, Saxon) are largely consumable and benefit less from the reuse discount.
This calculator is a planning guide based on published research from HSLDA, NHERI, and multiple educator cost surveys. Results are estimates for budgeting purposes only, not professional financial or legal advice. Homeschool requirements and available tax benefits vary by state — verify current rules with HSLDA or a qualified professional.