Back to school: the hard "hill" in September

We have once again carried out our annual survey of school expenses, to find out how much going back to school means to the family economy.

The sum of one and the other represents an expense that families cannot ignore.

Almost 2,000 euros per student

According to their parents' estimates, each student between the ages of 3 and 18 will spend, on average, a total of 1,890 euros during the next school year. However, actual spending varies greatly based on various factors.

Big differences

First of all, depending on the type of center you go to: in public education it is much cheaper, and on average it does not reach 1,000 euros, while those who go to a private school will pay 6 times more.

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The level of studies that they are going to take is also a determining factor in spending: it is the parents of secondary school students who, on average, have to spend less money, while the return to school of younger children, with more fixed expenses, it is generally more expensive

The place of residence also makes a difference. We do not have valid statistical data from all the Autonomous Communities, since not all of them have obtained a significant number of responses, but we have from some of them, and we can verify that, as on previous occasions, going back to school is more burdensome for Catalan families and Madrid, which on average, per student, pay much more than those of other places.

500 euros in uniform, material and books

Do you have children of school age? Well, you already know that the slope in September is steep: prepare about 500 euros per child upfront just to equip them with everything they need, from clothes and shoes to textbooks and material.

That alone means almost 500 euros per student, amounts that vary according to the type of center and the level of studies of each student, but which represent a good peak, which must also be paid practically at once.

In addition, other items must be added to these amounts: AMPA fees or other similar associations (26 euros on average), excursions (about 79 euros), insurance and other expenses for an average amount of 89 euros.

The only positive thing is that it is precisely in the items of school supplies, clothes, etc. where there are savings options: follow our tips to save on going back to school.

And every month, a little more

Add it up and go on, because every month you have to add the cost of dining (and sometimes breakfast, something more common in public centers), the route (or the cost transport), extracurricular activities (languages, sports, music...).

Free education... or not

But above all, the largest item of expenditure is schooling itself: what makes the biggest difference is precisely the fact of paying or not paying tuition and fees each month. Because as we know, education is free in public centers, while private ones are paid and in subsidized centers a voluntary contribution is usually established, which represents a disbursement for the majority of those who attend them. On average, this expense represents more than 1,200 euros in subsidized education and, on average, 4,492 in private centers.

It is this amount that makes the enormous differences in the cost of going back to school and explains why, while for some it means around 1,000 euros per student, others pay 6 times more.