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How much does homeschooling cost?

There is no one number. There are categories, and the biggest one, curriculum, runs from nothing to thousands of dollars a child.

It depends most on curriculum. Of the 73 curricula whose publisher's page gave a yearly price when we read it, 9 cost nothing, and all-subject programs ran from nothing to $8,245 for one child's year, the middle one $532.13. Classes, tests, field trips, fees and mileage come on top and vary by place. Peabody's free spending log totals your own year by category and child.

Checked October 31, 2026.

By Peabody editors.

This is a plain-words summary, not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check the current law and the program's own pages before you count on any money.

What does curriculum cost?

From the curriculum cards: each price is one child's year of the publisher's main package, as its own page showed it on the date on the card. A program that teaches several subjects counts in each row. Prices change; the publisher's page is the final word.

One child, one year, US dollars, from the publishers' pages
SubjectPrograms with a yearly priceLowestMiddleHighest
All subjects26Free$532.13$8,245
Math19Free$59$350
Reading and phonics6$35$153.95$287.52
Language arts16Free$67.69$247
Science13Free$162$350
History and geography11Free$147.94$671.40

Which ones are free?

  • AmblesideOnline: Free to use: there is no charge for the schedules, booklists or other material. You buy or borrow the books (many are free online texts) and choose your own math, phonics and foreign language programs. Checked 2026-10-29.
  • CK-12: Free: the FlexBooks, practice and the Flexi tutor cost nothing; the foundation is a nonprofit that takes donations. Checked 2026-10-31.
  • Core Knowledge: Free: the CKLA (1st edition, kindergarten to 5th grade), history and geography, and science teacher and student materials download as PDFs at no cost. Printed homeschool sets cost extra. Checked 2026-10-31.
  • Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool: Free: the online lessons and readings cost nothing. There is a suggested donation for the My EP assignment tracker, and printed workbooks and offline books are sold in the store. Checked 2026-10-29.
  • Khan Academy: Free: every course, video, exercise and the Parent Dashboard cost nothing. Checked 2026-10-29.
  • Prodigy Math: Free: an account and the in-game math questions cost nothing. Optional memberships, billed yearly: Core (math) $58.95, Plus (adds science) $88.95, Ultra (adds English) $118.95, shown at a 50% saving when we checked, with 25% off for more than one child. Checked 2026-10-31.
  • Typing.com: Free: the grade-based Learn to Type lessons, tests and games, with ads, and progress data kept for 70 days. PLUS is ad-free and adds more courses; its price is by quote only, with a 30-day free trial. Checked 2026-10-31.
  • Wildwood Curriculum: Free: the volunteer parents who write it share the plan free of charge. You buy or borrow the books, and choose your own math and phonics. Checked 2026-10-31.
  • Zearn Math: Free: a family account costs nothing and opens the digital lessons; paid accounts are for schools and districts. Checked 2026-10-31.

What else do families spend on?

The spending log's categories: curriculum, classes, supplies, tests, field trips, fees, mileage and other. We give no figure for the rest: a co-op fee, a class or a test costs what it costs where you live, and the program's own page says how much.

  • Classes and tutoring: co-op classes, online classes, music lessons, a college course in high school.
  • Supplies: paper, art materials, a science kit, a printer's ink.
  • Tests: where your state asks for one, or for college.
  • Field trips and fees: museum entry, a program fee, a co-op membership.
  • Mileage: the drives to all of it, as a dollar amount.

Can it cost nothing?

Nearly. A free curriculum, the library and free programs cover the teaching; Peabody Homeschool's tools and Peabody Year are free too. What is left is paper, pencils and time. Some states also give families money for some of it: homeschool grants and government money says which.

Count your own year

The spending log keeps each cost with its day, category and who it was for (the family or a child's label you type), and whether you kept the receipt. It shows the year's totals by category and by child, saves a spreadsheet and prints a year sheet. It stays in this browser: no account, no bank links.

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