How much does homeschooling cost?

Homeschooling can cost almost nothing in cash if you use free online lessons and the library, a few hundred to about a thousand dollars a year per child for a pieced-together curriculum, and $300 to $1,500 or more per child for a boxed grade-level package. Online programs and classes run from about $25 a month to over $100 a month per child.

By Andrew Garber, founder of TheHomeschoolingCompany. Reviewed September 24, 2026.

The cash is usually the smaller cost. The larger one is parent time, and for some families lost income. Several states now offset part of the cost with education savings accounts or tax credits. The sections below show real published prices, two worked budgets, and what to count that most estimates leave out.

What each approach costs

The prices below are the published figures we track in our curriculum comparisons, checked against each vendor's own listing where possible. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy. The annual ranges assume one child and one school year.

Two options look free but are not homeschooling in the legal sense. Public virtual schools such as K12 and Connections Academy are taxpayer-funded public schools that run at home. They cost nothing in tuition, but your child is a public school student with that school's schedule, testing, and rules.

For side-by-side details on specific programs, see Sonlight compared, Time4Learning compared, or the full homeschool curriculum cost breakdown for 2026. If money is the main constraint, start with the best free homeschool curriculum.

One-time costs vs recurring costs

Separate what you buy once from what you buy every year. The one-time items are where a second or third child saves money. The recurring items scale with every child.

Before you buy a boxed package, ask the publisher for the price of the consumable pieces on their own. That is the part you pay again for every child in every year; the reusable books are a one-time cost you can spread across siblings.

Worked budget: one child

Here is a pieced-together year for one 4th grader, using the published prices from the table above. Each line assumes a 10-month school year.

This budget leaves out supplies, printing, field trips, and activities, because those depend on your family more than on any curriculum. Add your own numbers for them in the homeschool cost calculator. It also assumes you do the teaching, planning, and grading. If you would rather hand those off, compare the boxed and online rows above, which cost more cash and less time.

Worked budget: three children

Three children in different grades is where the choices diverge. This example uses a 2nd grader, a 6th grader, and a 10th grader, each on a different approach, at published prices.

The mixed plan costs less cash. It also means three different programs, three different schedules, and a parent who plans and grades for all of them. The single-program row costs more and asks less of your week. Neither is the right answer for every family; the question is which cost you can carry more easily, dollars or hours.

The AP fee comes from the College Board's exam fee page, which lists $99 per exam for the 2026-27 year and a $40 late-order fee. A homeschooled student takes AP exams through a local school that gives them, and that school may charge more to cover its costs.

The costs most estimates leave out

Parent time and lost income. This is usually the largest cost and the one no curriculum price shows. Work it out with your own numbers: hours of paid work you give up each week, times your hourly pay, times the weeks in your school year. A parent who cuts 20 hours a week at $25 an hour for 40 weeks gives up $20,000 before taxes. That figure is an illustration, not an average. Even with no lost income, a parent who teaches, plans, and grades spends real hours every week.

Testing and evaluation. Some states require it. North Carolina requires an annual nationally standardized test, New York requires testing in set grades, and Pennsylvania adds testing in grades 3, 5, and 8 to a portfolio review. Florida lets you choose a test or a portfolio evaluation. Test and evaluator fees vary, so ask before you schedule. The standardized testing options page lists what is available.

Activities. Sports, music lessons, clubs, and field trips replace things a school bundles in. Whether your child can play on a public school team depends on your state, so check homeschool sports eligibility by state before you budget for club teams.

Dual enrollment. College courses in high school can be free or full price depending on where you live. Florida law exempts eligible home education students from tuition and fees at public colleges. Georgia's program covers tuition, mandatory fees, and required textbooks at participating colleges. Minnesota's PSEO and Washington's Running Start are tuition-free for eligible juniors and seniors. In Texas and Alabama, most homeschool dual enrollment is arranged and paid directly with the college. See dual enrollment by state.

Services a school provided. School meals, transportation, special education services, and devices do not come with you. If your child has an IEP, ask your district what services it offers to homeschooled students before you withdraw.

State ESAs, tax credits, and deductions

A growing number of states put money toward homeschool costs, through an education savings account (ESA), a tax credit, or a deduction. The table lists the larger programs in our state data, last reviewed in September 2026. Each has eligibility rules, approved expense lists, and application windows, and several are new, so confirm on the official program page linked from each state guide.

Read the rules before you enroll. In Arizona, for example, students on an ESA contract are legally distinct from statutory homeschoolers, so taking the money changes your status. Other states, including California, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Washington, offer no state tax break or ESA for independent homeschoolers. Check your own state in homeschool tax deductions and credits by state, or go straight to Texas, Idaho, or West Virginia. The homeschool benefits finder also checks local programs.

How this compares with public school spending

Public school costs families little at the door, but taxpayers fund every seat. The figures below are what each district told the federal School District Finance Survey (F-33) it spent to run its schools in fiscal year 2022, divided by the students it enrolled that fall. That day-to-day spending includes teachers, buses, meals, and administration, but not new buildings or loan payments, which would push the real cost of a seat higher.

Each state figure is the middle district in that state, not an average of every student. The comparison shows scale, not savings. That money does not follow your child home, except through an ESA program, and a family paying $1,000 a year is not reproducing a school building, bus fleet, and staff. Look up your own district in the school district cost per student tool, or by state, such as school spending per student in Texas.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to homeschool one child for a year?

In cash, anywhere from close to $0 with free resources to about $1,500 or more for a boxed grade package, and up to roughly $1,900 for some online programs billed monthly. A pieced-together plan using published prices for math, science, language arts, practice software, and one class a month comes to about $475 to $970. Parent time is extra and often the bigger cost.

Is homeschooling cheaper than private school?

In cash, almost always. Private school tuition usually runs from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars a year per child, while most of the curriculum options above cost under $2,000. The comparison changes if a parent gives up paid work to teach, because private school leaves both parents free to work. Some state ESA programs pay toward private school tuition as well as homeschool costs, so check both before you compare.

Should I buy used homeschool curriculum?

For the reusable parts, usually yes. Teacher guides, hardcover textbooks, and literature sets often sell used for a fraction of the new price through homeschool groups, curriculum sales, and online marketplaces. Check that the edition matches any workbook or answer key you plan to buy new, since publishers change page numbers and problem sets between editions. Buy consumable workbooks new, and remember that online subscriptions cannot be passed on.

Does the government pay you to homeschool?

In some states, partly. Education savings accounts and refundable credits send money toward approved expenses, such as the Hope Scholarship in West Virginia, Utah's Fits All Scholarship, and Alabama's CHOOSE Act credit. They reimburse or fund education costs; they are not a salary. Many states, including California and New York, offer nothing to independent homeschoolers.

Are homeschool expenses tax deductible?

Only in a few states. Indiana allows a $1,000 deduction per qualifying child, Iowa has a credit of up to $500 per child, Ohio a nonrefundable credit of up to $250 per student, and Minnesota a subtraction and a refundable credit. Rules on which expenses count differ by state. For federal tax treatment, ask a tax professional.

How much does homeschooling cost for multiple kids?

Less per child than the first, if you reuse books. Teacher guides, hardcover texts, and equipment pass down; consumable workbooks and per-child subscriptions do not. Our three-child example using published prices came to about $1,118 to $1,698 in cash for the year. Some online programs lower the per-child rate for families with more learners.

Does homeschooling cost more in high school?

Usually, yes. Lab science kits, upper-level math with a solutions manual, and outside classes for subjects a parent cannot teach all cost more than elementary materials. Testing adds up too: AP exams cost $99 each for the 2026-27 year, plus whatever a host school charges, and the SAT and ACT carry their own registration fees. Dual enrollment can be free or full price depending on your state. Plan the high school budget course by course, not by grade.

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