Cost

No matter which system you use, there is a financial cost in educating children. However, should you choose to educate at home, New Zealand is unique in that the government gives families a homeschooling allowance to offset the expense. This makes homeschooling a very viable option.

Beyond this, as a charitable trust, HSNZ does not need to make a profit from families – we simply need to cover operating expenses. Taking into account school fees, transport, books and clothing, it is therefore usually much cheaper to homeschool than to attend a regular school.

There is one off registration payment of $150, which covers the office work involved in setting up a family. Thereafter, annual costs are estimated to be as follows. (Note that this pricing model is based on a family using a full Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) homeschooling package. However, whichever curriculum package or combination you wish to use, the costings will ultimately work out much the same.)

  • Registration Fee: $150, This is a once-only fee and covers all parent training material, and initial set up cost.
  • Support Donations: Donation payments are made either monthly or annually. (The cost is the same however you choose to pay.) As these are donations and not fees, they are non-refundable. However, because they are classified as donations, these payments are tax-deductible.
  • Curriculum Costs: Note that you do not have to purchase all your curriculum at one time. Most families order term-by-term to spread the cost.
Girl-Studying-web

The worst-case scenario is that a full home-schooling programme will probably cost you less than $1.50 a day!

Annual Costs

Approximate figures only, based on an average use of Abeka or A.C.E curriculum.

Costs 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 4 Children
Annual HSNZ Support Donation

$548, or $45.67 per month

$599, or $49.92 per month

$647, or $53.92 per month

$647, or $53.92 per month

Curriculum Costs

$875

$1200

$1600

$2000

Sub Total

$1423

$1799

$2247

$2647

Less Homeschooling Allowance

$769

$1423

$1959

$2344

Less Tax Rebate on Donation

$183

$199

$215

$215

Actual Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost

$471

$177

$73

$88