Academic success is a goal that just about every student strives for. The validation that Advance Placement (AP) courses or good grades provides feels rewarding but can also be very costly. There is a large amount of money spent on children’s education each year with exam fees, tutoring, supplies and private schools.
Many students struggle in classes and often resort to tutoring in order to earn a grade that depicts their academic capability, which results in more money being spent on academics. According to Grade Power Learning, an average tutoring program can cost $4,800 per year. Additionally, if a student were to take an Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) prep course, it could cost around $2,000. Instead of paying for tutoring, students can seek help from their peers or teachers after school. At Walpole High School (WHS) specifically, students can take advantage of Wednesday intervention time to see teachers or National Honors Society (NHS) tutoring, which are both cost efficient options. Utilizing these resources can result in thousands of dollars being saved and still help one’s learning.
In addition to tutoring, there are numerous fees for different exams. Tests like the SAT or AP exams have required a payment so students can partake in them. These expenses can quickly add up as students get closer to college. They are often expected to take the SAT or American College Testing (ACT) and take more AP level classes. While some teens receive financial aid when paying for these exams, only a select amount can get help, which leaves many students with a high fee to pay. The cost to take an AP exam is $110 per class and the SAT fee costs about $60; however, a majority of students take the SAT three or four times.
“The prep class was a waste of time and money and I learned all the content off [of] YouTube anyways,” WHS junior Aaron Arora said.
Furthermore, students typically spend a lot of money on new school supplies each year. Different classes can require specific materials, which results in more money being spent on one’s education. As teens enter high school, supplies like graphing calculators, large back packs and folders or binders can be very expensive. A typical graphing calculator costs $100, a backpack can range from $30 to over $100 and multiple folders or binder can cost up to $50.
“I know people who spend hundreds of dollars [on school supplies] every year,” WHS junior Swara Sonchhatra said.
Moreover, students who want higher education often attend private schools, which cost thousands of dollars annually. According to Private School Review, the average cost of a private education in Massachusetts is about $26,000 per year; however, the average cost of a privatized high school education is around $40,000. Many people are not able to afford the tuition because it is so expensive, which limits the range of students who have access to a private education. Unless students are given scholarships, private schools have a population that only consists of wealthier individuals. Additionally, people are led to believe that private schools provide students with more resources and a better learning experience; however, this is not necessarily true. Although individuals who received a private education will most likely get into more well known colleges, the general courses and support does not differ that much from public schools.
“The only thing that is different [about private schools] is that we had ipads and apple pens,” WHS senior Keira Brennan said.
One of the biggest costs of a good education is college. Without any financial aid, college can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, which often leads to years of debt. After graduation, adults continue to pay fees from their college experience. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average price of a college tuition out of state is around $38,000 per year. Over the course of four years, students also need to pay for housing, food and books. However, there can be many ways to avoid the stressful financial processes by going to community college or earning scholarships. Most schools also provide students with discounts if they live in the state.
Succeeding academically is very expensive. The costs of tutoring, exam fees, school supplies, private education and college amount to a great sum of money being spent on receiving a quality education. Schools should contemplate helping students afford a quality education since it is essential for almost all jobs.
