How Much to Homeschool in the Philippines - Our Experience


Homeschooling families have different reasons on why they want to homeschool their children. One of their considerations in decision making is the costs of homeschooling. Is it costly to homeschool here in the Philippines? Let me share with your our own experience.


Starting Our Journey

It was in 2013 that I was first introduced to the idea of homeschooling. It was also the same year when I left the corporate world and focused on raising V, our only child at that time. We have been intentional in teaching him since he was a baby and as I learned more about homeschooling and the different approaches, I realized that we were actually homeschooling already! V and his siblings are basically homeschooled since birth.

It was in 2014 (or early 2015? sorry I can't recall exactly) when I met with the homeschool coordinators and attended the parent orientation of Catholic Filipino Academy, a Dep-Ed homeschool provider headed by Brother Bo Sanchez, in Cubao Quezon City. I was still scouting for providers and this one was the nearest in our area. If we enrolled V for Kinder 1 in 2015, we would have spent 21k plus on tuition fees, plus books ranging from 3-5k pesos.

From the discussion threads on homeschool Facebook groups and the advice of other homeschool moms I met along the way, we decided to continue with independent homeschooling for that year.


Enrolling in a Homeschool Provider

Department of Education (DepEd) officially accepts a child in Kindergarten and gives a Learner's Reference Number (LRN) - which is basically a student number a child uses throughout his education - when he turns five years old.

In 2015, we have decided to enroll V for Kindergarten in a homeschool provider based in Cainta: Peniel Integrated Christian Academy of Rizal. Read about the process and our experience here. We paid 14,500 pesos for the annual tuition and miscellaneous fees for Kindergarten, and 2,500 pesos for six textbooks.

Kuya V is currently in grade three and still under Peniel as our homeschool provider. We took advantage of the early bird registration and only paid 13,500 pesos for this school year's tuition fees. We saved 5,000 pesos! This SY 2019-2020 we have a mix of recommended textbooks from the homeschool provider, books from bookstores, and pre-loved ones.


Factors Affecting Your Homeschool Costs

When asked how much is it to homeschool, I always answer: "It depends."

Homeschooling may be cost effective or expensive depending on how the family budgets for their homeschool. For me there are three factors to determine if your homeschooling is cost-effective or expensive.

#1 Tuition

Here in the Philippines you can do homeschooling in two ways: independent or enrolled in a homeschool provider.

Independent homeschoolers are children who are not enrolled in any DepEd accredited homeschool provider. They are either enrolled in an institution outside the country or not enrolled at any at all.

Those enrolled in a DepEd homeschool provider have LRN and school records. And just like traditional schools, you have to pay for tuition fees. Tuition fees may vary between providers depending on the curriculum, support, and materials they provide. So far I know tuition fees may range from 15k to 35k pesos. 

#2 Homeschooling Materials

Another item that would affect your homeschool costs are your materials. These are your textbooks, workbooks, school supplies, science kits, equipment, manipulatives, and others. For us the biggest chunk of costs on our homeschool materials are the textbooks. Currently we are using local textbooks and just add other books as needed.


#3 Extra-Curricular Activities

We also need to consider the extra activities our children have - music, arts and sports classes, co-op meetu-ups, field trips, Kumon and Eye Level classes and tutors, and other special activities our children may be interested in. I usually factor in other expenses such as transportation to and from the centers, accommodation and food for out of town trips, recital fees, uniforms, instruments, and equipment.

Some families opt to have only a few local field trips for their activities while others even go outside of the country. Budget will depend on the family. For us, our out of town trips with the rest of our relatives serve as field trips. We also visit local libraries free of charge or government-owned museums.


Is Homeschooling Only for the Rich?

Definitely not!

Costs for homeschooling would really depend on how your family wants to spend for it. There are so many ways to homeschool without breaking the bank. It just takes some diskarte.

Do I think it is cheaper to homeschool? For our family, yes. If we were not homeschooling, we would probably place our kids in private schools, which are costly in the area where we live. Plus they would probably be taking the school service. Baon pa! 

The money we save from tuition fees are used for family activities to create memories, special classes, and materials our children would appreciate. 

No two families are alike and it is important not to compare your family's expenses with others. Families have different needs and goals for homeschooling. We also consider the season where we are in. Therefore, budget would differ with each family.

Watch this video on YouTube for my additional thoughts on homeschooling costs:


Comments

  1. Thank you po for these info Momsh 💋❤️

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  2. Isa ito sa mga gusto kong subukan for my daughter. Gusto ko rin na maestablish muna ang kanyang character and manners before having a formal education sa traditional school. I tried to discuss it with my husband pero baka hindi kakayanin. Magandang invesment ang homeschooling para sa mga bata.

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    1. I always suggest na i-homeschool ang bata bago siya mag 5 years old tutal pagdating ng 5 years old lang naman siya ina-accept ng DepEd at may official school records. Instead of placing a child sa isang playschool na may costs din, might as well homeschool in the preschool age tapos enroll mo na lang sa mga special classes (ballet, Singapore Math, etc) or go to the playground so that the child can socialize with kids her age.

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  3. Napaka helpful neto mamsh ,pwede rin sya perfect bonding natin sa mga kids,yun nga lang hnd tayo pwede magloose ng temper ksi minsan pag home schooling dami distractions

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  4. Thank you momshie for this info. I have 3 year old baby kinder na sa june and nagiisip kami kung saan mas makakatipid sa private school or homeschooling pero I will discuss muna kay hubby. Kasi as per check private school 20-25k+ tuition fee and 3-5k for books. Thanks momshie ��

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    1. 3 pa lang naman siya. She will have official records pagdating ng 5 years old. Mostly play din lang naman for that age.

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    2. For 3 year olds, hindi pa naman sya maie-enroll sa homeschool provider so nakatipid na sa tuition :)

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  5. Mae Enderez MagpantayFebruary 17, 2020 at 11:05 AM

    Wow. Mas mura nga siya kaysa sa mga private school. Thanks sa info momsh. ����

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    1. Relatively lower pero depende pa din sa family how the budget they want to allot for homeschooling

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  6. Mukhang mahirap mag-homeschool pero time and dedication lang talaga, yakang-yakang magawa. Great job momsh!

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    1. Not a walk in the park, may good days, may bad days. Yes as long as you give your dedication, kakayanin naman.

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    2. Maybe I can consider homeschooling, but my child has her own personality that won't fit the setup...

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  7. Totoo. Depende naman tlg. Kase kahit na may free stuffs ka for academic possible na mapapagastos ka sa extra curricular activities.
    But still, yung reward parin tlg ung wag natin kakalimutan.
    Yung goal kung bakit gusto natin ihomeschool ang kiddos.
    Thankful nga ako dahil ngaung naghomeschool kame, dami na tlgng mga support group at mga ganitong katulad mo sis na gumagabay samin.

    Thanks po! More power and God bless you! 💕

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. Kapit-kamay tayong mga homeschool moms :)

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  8. Good info. Maybe I can consider homeschooling, but my child has her own personality that won't fit the setup..

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  9. Gusto ko Rin itry Ito sa kids ko before talaga sila mahschooling atleast natutukan ko din talaga, at nsa comfort sya Ng aming home Kaya Hindi ako magwoworry

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  10. Very Importamative Blog,wanna tty this too for my Lo.

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  11. Thank you for the ideas about homeschooling.

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  12. thank you for sharing this ideas about home schooling mommy.

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