Attending Belmont High School feels a bit like a monthly subscription. Although public school is supposed to mean free education, our high school is set up like a “freemium” service, where the best features are locked behind a paywall. Whether it’s on the field or at a conference, the price of being an involved student is higher than most people think. Aside from the standard curriculum, there is an underlying web of participation fees and hidden costs that make school into something you keep having to pay for.
The scale of this financial barrier became clear to me during the National High School Model U.N. conference in New York City. While practicing diplomacy in Manhattan was an amazing experience, the math was daunting for me. Between the delegate fees of up to $165 and hotel rates that easily exceed $350 per night, a single weekend costs my family and me upwards of $1,000. For many, a trip like this isn’t feasible, and could be a barrier to participating.
This is not limited only to conferences outside of school.
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At Belmont High, kids participating in music and theater after-school activities are charged $500 per year. Student-athletes are expected to pay a baseline participation fee of $485 for their first season, $335 for their second, and $185 for their third. That doesn’t even cover the “hidden” costs, like the USA Swimming memberships, which are essential for many competitive seasons, or the $80 tech suits and travel expenses. By the end of one sports season, you could look at costs upwards of $500.
As one of my friends, Sophia, says, “Sports can get really expensive between pay-to-play fees and equipment, especially for people who play more than one sport. It can feel unfair because not everyone can afford to stay involved.” She continues: “Prom tickets are a big issue because they’re so expensive, and not everyone can afford to go. I feel like school events are supposed to include everyone, but with the prices being so high, people can feel left out.”
They even charge you to get to school. Families have to pay $500 per child for riding the bus to high school. The town is trying to reduce traffic congestion in the morning, and in an advisory to residents, asks: “Please carpool whenever you can. Your fellow residents and planet Earth would love it if you do.” Maybe traffic (and the pollution it causes) would be better if buses were more accessible.
To address these issues, the school system provides fee waivers to families who need financial help. You can see who qualifies on the school’s website, but let’s take a family of four. If their income is below $64,300, all fees are waived. If they make up to $128,600, they only have to pay half of the fee.
School Superintendent Jill Geiser said the school has made a concerted effort to mitigate some of the pain caused by fees.
“We revised the waiver system last year to make it much more accessible for the purpose of supporting families for whom the fees present a hardship,” she said in an email. “When families apply for a waiver in one area, that waiver applies to all areas. This is different from the past, when a family had to apply for a waiver each time they went to pay a fee. Families just have to fill out one form, which is available on our website. This has gone a long way to increase accessibility and improve the overall functioning of our waiver system.”
While this is helpful for some, I still wonder: What about families who don’t qualify, but also can’t afford to keep up with these costs?
If we are looking at solving the problem of high costs at our school, we need to work to bring down these costs in the first place, so that school experiences are available to all students.
Christelle Moïse is a junior at Belmont High School with a passion for reading mysteries, ice skating, and listening to music. When she’s not focused on schoolwork or volunteering in her community, she channels her creativity into writing about teen mental health and pop culture. With a strong commitment to using her voice for good, Christelle strives to raise awareness of important issues and shed light on often overlooked perspectives.