Student Fees Vary by Area School Districts

When asked about registration fees — many of which top $100 for area students — parents had mixed responses.

Lisa Schumacher, responding to a query on local Patch Facebook pages about registration fees, said her family transferred to the area from Minnesota where there were no such fees.

“Our property taxes paid for our public education. That is how it should be …” she wrote.

Sue Garrison Schild echoed that sentiment.

“Fees make no sense to me when our property taxes are so high and when our children are supposedly entitled to a ‘free’ public education,” Schlid wrote on the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch Facebook page.

• Join the conversation on the Algonquin-LITH Facebook page

Other said it was worth it to ensure a great education for their children. 

Kathy Cotreell Obler commented on the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch Facebook page that she came to the area from a small town in central Illinois where fees were very low. She also said she didn’t get a very good education.

“I will gladly pay over $100 fees that the schools charge for my children if it means they get a better education than I did,” she wrote.

So just how much are school fees in the area? Patch gathered information from local school districts, from both the districts' websites and from district representatives.

Here's a look at what various districts charge for fees:

DISTRICT 158

For District 158 students, registration is $112 for pre-school programs. Half-day kindergarten registration costs $167 while full-day kindergarten registration fees are $217. Parents will pay $173 in registration fees for their children in first through fifth grades and $218 for registration for sixth through eighth grades.

At District 158 high schools, registration will cost $228. Other fees, such as an athletic participation fee, will cost parents $75 per sport at the high school level,  while the parking fee for high school students is $100.

NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DISTRICTS

At District 300 high schools, parents pay $135 for a registration. Other fees include a full-year parking permit, which costs $125; the cost of athletic participation per sport, which is $150; and a driver’s education course, which is $300.

District 155 students pay a registration fee of $155, which includes the cost of  “textbook rental, workbooks, paperbacks, lab, and other course supplies, school newspaper, and a student identification card.” The cost also includes a physical education uniform and lock for freshmen and other new students, according to the D155 website.

Additional costs for high school students, such as Behind-the-Wheel Driver’s Education, will cost parents $100 and a parking permit is $100 for all District 155 schools. District 155 does not charge an athletic participation fee.