What’s the cost of going back to school?
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Kids across central Indiana will be going back to school in a few days.
Districts will want kids to bring in a long list of supplies for the year.
I-Team 8 took lists from four different districts to see which one was the most expensive.
To make things equal between the districts, I-Team 8 only added up the lists for sixth grade. Some were more expensive than others, but all of them were more than $100.
Broad Ripple Middle School in the Indianapolis Public Schools system has 21 items on its list for sixth graders this year.
For every item I-Team 8 placed in the checkout bin on Amazon, as much penny pinching was done as possible.
For 21 items, including a scientific calculator, Broad Ripple Middle School’s list totaled $145.
Next up, Avon Intermediate School West: its list included a backpack. I-Team 8 picked out the cheapest one on Amazon. I-Team 8 chose not to add an optional item of a wireless mouse, so the cart ended up having 23 items in it for $140.
Next, I-Team 8 added up the list for Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate and Junior High School in Fishers. Again trying to find the best deals, I-Team 8 loaded 22 items into the bin for a grand total of $108.
Last up was Center Grove Middle School Central in northwestern Johnson County. Its list had 21 items for their sixth graders. They also had physical education clothes listed for $20. Adding that into the Amazon bin, the total came to $135.
All of the schools were within roughly $30 of each other.
The biggest difference between the least- and the most-expensive list was the quantity of items and if the school wants students to have scientific calculators.
The only district I-Team 8 could not get a supply list for was Carmel Clay Schools. That Hamilton County district buys the supplies in bulk, and has parents pay a materials fee at the beginning of the year. The district said the fees for sixth graders this year will be determined by what classes the students take.