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How Much Does it Cost to Homeschool?

Lisa Flanagan / 29 January 2023

 

When I first started my homeschool research one of the biggest questions I had was “How much will it all cost?”. 
 
Social media, Pinterest and YouTube were full of beautiful home learning spaces and curriculum hauls. It all looked so amazing, and very expensive. 
 
After nine years of kids attending mainstream schools, I knew how much education costs could balloon. It cost us thousands each year for our eldest three to attend and that only covered the basics. Free public education was anything but free. 

Based on this experience, I approached homeschooling with caution. Three years later, I am thrilled to share that homeschooling blew my budgeting socks right off! 

 

Homeschool for Free 

That’s right – where there’s a will, there’s a way. With access to a public library, basic stationery supplies, an internet connection, and a lot of determined creativity, you can homeschool. For next to nothing. 

You don’t need a miniature classroom at home (as beautiful as they are) and you certainly don’t need enough supplies to fill one. What’s even more wonderful, is that there is an amazing array of free resources available. 

I recently wrote a plan for my daughter moving into year 11 and found a huge amount of free resources for her online including: 

  • Australian curriculum-linked resources 

  • maths programs 

  • tutorials 

  • lectures 

  • online university courses 

  • relevant library books. 

It blew me away! I could potentially cover her entire senior years with free resources.  

In fact, there is a treasure trove of free resources out there for children of all ages. The only investment needs to be your time in finding them and energy to make them work for your family. 
 

 

Budget-Friendly Homeschooling 

For many of us, a small homeschool budget is helpful. What can you achieve with that? You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. 
 
In addition to the fabulous array of free learning resources, reasonably priced ones can be a worthwhile investment. Whether you are new to homeschooling, or a veteran of countless years, many appreciate the convenience of a practical resource or well-thought-out curriculum. It saves you time, energy and still money too. 
 
So far on our homeschool journey I have discovered an endless supply of helpful, budget-friendly resources including: 

  • workbooks 

  • unit studies 

  • apps 

  • subscriptions 

  • books 

  • games 

  • kits 

  • local homeschool activities and workshops. 
     

 

With a bit of research, or a friendly chat with another homeschool parent, you’ll be able to narrow down which resources could best help your family. 

Paid resources have saved my sanity. They also don’t have to burn a hole in my back pocket. The best way to find what will work for you and your family is to do a bit of research into the options available. 

We thoroughly enjoy using Simply Homeschool as a base for most of our homeschooling. On top of our subscription, we buy stationery and craft supplies as needed (or raid the recycling bin). We also buy a few new books each year. As a book lover the thought of having lovely quality books on our bookshelves makes my heart sing! Alternatively, a visit to the library proves just as useful and always enjoyable. 
 
Sometimes we like to add extra resources in addition to our Simply Homeschool subscription. Maths Online is my life saver for the older years. The wonderful thing for our budget, however, is these extras are optional. 

How do the costs compare? Our family can access a quality homeschool curriculum for all 5 of our children for less than the cost of sending one of them to public school. Amazing right?! 
 

 

The sky is the limit!  

Perhaps you don’t have a budget. Or it might be you prefer to ignore the bank statement and give in to the temptation to buy ALL the resources! Even working within a budget, it took some time in my early homeschool days to learn that less is most often best. I’m a big believer now in starting small and building upon resources over time to curate a beautiful collection of learning opportunities for my family. 
 
There are also plenty of curriculums and packages available that cost a considerable sum. It may be that one of these is perfect for your needs. However, spending more money does not always guarantee a good educational fit for your family. Prepare to be flexible and, with any curriculum, consider a trial period for a month or two before making a huge financial commitment. 
 
In the end, your budget is just a small part of your homeschooling journey.

What’s most valuable is a parent invested in their child’s life and learning.

That is priceless. 
 

 

Here are some examples of how Simply Homeschool can work for your budget:

 

Budget-friendly Homeschooling with Simply Homeschool: 

  • Standard membership: $30.41/month billed annually or $39.95/month billed monthly.

  • One membership includes access to all our core programs for the whole family.

  • Our program is unique in its approach. Instead of grades, each core program is suitable for a range of different ages. 

  • We encourage families to choose a core program which interests their children. There is no set program you must follow. You are free to choose what you study. 

  • One core program integrates several subjects to create a holistic learning experience.

  • Our core programs focus on hands-on learning & family connection.

  • You can choose as many or as few cores as you like to add to your Family Learning Plan. 

  • Core programs differ in length from 10-100+ lessons. This offers flexibility in learning for different students. 

 

  • Books: Simply Homeschool values quality books over textbooks 

  • Most core programs require an accompanying book.  

  • Books may be available for loan from your local library.  

  • Books are available from our Simply Homeschool Resource shop, in stores or online. 

  • Second-hand books are available through our Buy, Swap, Sell group on Facebook. 

 

  • Resources: Each core program includes a resource list. Common resources include: 

                                  - Drawing materials – coloured pencils, coloured markers & graphite pencils 

                                  - Lapbook – a visual arts journal. Available from our resource shop or in store (K-mart & Officeworks) 

                                  - Messy Book – a lined notebook 

                                  - Watercolour paints and brush – Micador are a quality brand that are reasonably priced. 

                                  - Stationery – glue stick, eraser, sharpener 

                                  - Common household items 

                                  - Occasional specialty items – craft, art, science supplies. 

 

Mid-range Homeschooling with Simply Homeschool: 

  • Standard membership: $30.41/month billed annually or $39.95/month billed monthly 

  • Online classes: Simply Homeschool offers live online classes for ages 8+ based on our popular core programs.  

  • Classes run each term and start from $55.  

  • All online classes are conducted through Zoom and are recorded. 

  • Books: In addition to our core books, Simply Homeschool offers a carefully curated list of educational books in our Just Good Books section.  

  • Some of these books are available through our resource shop, others can be purchased in stores or online. 

  • Simply Homeschool offers a paid library service for books. Please see our resource shop for more information. 

  • Resources: Additional resources might include: 

  • Core program kits – Simply Homeschool offers kits for some core programs to help with gathering supplies 

  • Simply Homeschool offers discounted annual subscriptions to Maths Online; an Australian online program that incorporates video lessons and practice questions. 

 

Upper-range Homeschooling with Simply Homeschool: 

  • Premium membership: $49.83 (single) or $62.83 (family)/month billed annually or $59.95 (single) or $75.95 (family)/month billed monthly 

  • Online Classes: In addition to regular online classes, Simply Homeschool is planning small-group classes with increased teacher-student interaction and feedback. 

  • Camps: Simply Homeschool camps run several times throughout the year. 

  • Camps are often linked to our core programs. Get the most out of your family’s learning by pairing a core program with a camp.

  • Simply Homeschool aims to make camps accessible for as many children as possible and as such endeavours to hold camps throughout Australia 

  • Camps range in price. Please see our Camps page for more information. 

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