A reality that some high school students may not realize, but will eventually discover, is that almost everything costs money. An education at LZHS is no exception.
Public schools are meant to provide a quality education at affordable costs to ensure that everyone in the US can have a basic level of education. In more affluent communities like Lake Zurich, cost is often not an issue; for others, it is a major consideration.
The price of registration per year at LZHS is $190 per student. However, there are several items that over the course of a student’s time at the high school can increase the cost.
There are additional fees depending on a student choosing to participate in additional or extracurricular activities.
“The registration fees are meant to offset some of the expenses related to providing a student with their education. Examples of such materials include workbooks, consumables, art supplies, materials for science unit experiments, paper and copying costs, student screening materials, printer supplies and other items,” Vicky Cullinan, assistant superintendent of business and operations, said.
The amount a parent pays for a student to attend LZHS for the full four years can vary greatly from student to student, with factors like AP tests, field trips, amount of school supplies, and transportation altering totals substantially. But by Bear Facts’ estimations, the basic cost for a typical LZHS student would look like this:
- Registration: $190 x 4 years = $760
- Driver’s Education: $300
- PE Uniform: $20
- Yearbook (optional): $54 x 4 years = $216
- Parking (optional): $165 x 2 semesters (senior year) = $330
- Lunch (optional): $2.55 for standard meal deal x about 165 full days of school x 4 years = $1,683
- School supplies (one 2” binder, two folders, two spiral notebooks, one 7-pack of black pens, and one 18-pack of pencils from Target; optional): $15.65 x 4 years = $62.60
Total: $3,371.60
The total does not seem so significant when compared to LZ’s estimated median household income, which according to http://city-data.com is $103,772. Of course, this price does not include clubs and sports fees, which are significant at LZHS as seen in the article XX on page X (by Emmy) and XX on page X (by Jenna).
In comparison, nearby Barrington High School, when using the same categories to calculate price, would cost $4,192.60. This slight increase in cost parallels a slight difference in http://city-data.com’s estimation of median household income, with Barrington coming out at $106,973 per year, an approximate $3,000 greater than that of LZ.
“We are in the average range [of high schools in terms of cost],” Cullinan said.
The public schools of LZ and Barrington are both less expensive than private schools, which charge tuition fees. Carmel Catholic High School, for instance, charges a tuition fee of $9,550 for the 2012-2013 school year, according to the school’s website, in addition to some of the costs listed above.
The relationship between cost and student success and performance may be notable, as 78.3 percent of Barrington students met or exceeded state averages on the PSAE, while 73.6 of LZ students did so, according to the Illinois Interactive Report Card.
However, according to Cullinan, the relationship between student performance and cost of attending varies from school to school, and there is not always a correlation.
“You will find examples of schools with low per pupil costs and high student achievement,” Cullinan said, “and schools with high per pupil costs and low student achievement.”