# School education for kids free?



## Oz_Immi (Nov 30, 2015)

Is public school education for kids of the primary L1 visa holder free of cost as is the case for residents and US citizens? Please confirm this.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Public primary education is free. Be prepared for charges for extracurricular activities from sports, band, trips to required materials.


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## Oz_Immi (Nov 30, 2015)

twostep said:


> Public primary education is free. Be prepared for charges for extracurricular activities from sports, band, trips to required materials.


Thank you for your reply!

How much do those charges amount to? I'd appreciate your response on this.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Oz_Immi said:


> Thank you for your reply!
> 
> How much do those charges amount to? I'd appreciate your response on this.


It depends on the school and the school district.

Normally, you get a list of "required" supplies to be purchased before the start of school in the fall (i.e. August or September). Pens, pencils, erasers, maybe a calculator, miscellaneous other stuff.

Extra curricular activities and their fees depend on what's available and what your kids sign up for. Can range from band uniforms to travel and insurance fees, supplies, etc.

Each school district has its own fees and requirements.
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

twostep said:


> Public primary education is free.


U.S. public secondary education (i.e. high school) is also free.

With respect to the school supplies and extracurricular activities, in my experience public school districts generally try to make sure that if a family genuinely cannot afford a flute to play in the school band (for example) they'll find a solution. Extracurricular activities are also optional, not obligatory.

School supplies typically include note paper/books, pencils, pens, and a bag to carry them -- things that you can buy at a dollar store for very few dollars. The school provides textbooks (paper and/or electronic nowadays). Practically all school districts provide free school bus transportation to/from the school if it's too far to walk. Short distance school trips (called "field trips") are provided by the school. Optional long distance school trips -- the school band trip to another state 1,000 miles away, for example -- are not, but sometimes there's partial financial support (especially for needy families).

Public school education is as free as possible in the circumstances, really. You've still got normal everyday expenses like clothing, feeding, and sheltering your child. (Although there's even a National School Lunch Program that provides either free or subsidized school lunches to students in public schools if their families cannot afford them.) Please do spend at least a _little_ money on your child's educational needs and desires above what the public school provides, but it doesn't have to be very much money to still provide an excellent educational experience assuming the public school is excellent or at least good.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Just a brief addendum here, though. It's unlikely that a family on an L-1 visa would be eligible for any of the various financial aids available for students. Just sayin'....
Cheers,
Bev


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## Oz_Immi (Nov 30, 2015)

Thank you guys for your prompt responses. I really appreciate the same.

I was actually interested to know a ball park figure in dollars that needed to be spent for the education of a 5 year old kid in a primary school. From the above posts it seems it should be insignificant and if I may just hazard a guess then it should not be more than $1k p.a. Am I right in guessing that?

Also I have a 3 year old kid. What would be the cost of sending a 3 year old kid to pre-school? Is that free too or just nominal cost that I have to bear?

Thanks for your responses.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Oz_Immi said:


> Thank you guys for your prompt responses. I really appreciate the same.
> 
> I was actually interested to know a ball park figure in dollars that needed to be spent for the education of a 5 year old kid in a primary school. From the above posts it seems it should be insignificant and if I may just hazard a guess then it should not be more than $1k p.a. Am I right in guessing that?
> 
> ...


It all depends on your individual circumstances. First Grade is generally not full time. If the school offers after school care (normally until 5 or 6 pm) it can run you anywhere from 250 up per week. Lunches, transportation (unless you want to have a 5 year old ride a school bus), vaccinations, medical exams, ... Do not forget school holidays, snow days, teachers' days, ... Plus a parent or authorized person has to be able to pick the child up in case of illness, bad behavior ...

There is some subsidized pre school. Mostly run by churches and similar organizations and a few employers. The others are businesses even some US wide chains. You sign up once you are pregnant to get on the waiting list for a lot of them. Google will be your friend to find what is available in your area. Some post weekly charges. I have seem them from 250-2000/week.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Bevdeforges said:


> It's unlikely that a family on an L-1 visa would be eligible for any of the various financial aids available for students.


Agreed, because L-1 visa holders should not have financial need -- it would be inconsistent with L-1 visa status. I was merely providing generalized information, suitably qualified.

Please note that immigration status as such is not a factor in the provisions I described. (I checked before posting.) The National School Lunch Program, for example, doesn't even ask about immigration status. Of course that makes perfect sense. Children don't choose their parents or their residences, but children still need school lunches, including children from financially needy families with or without visas/citizenship.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

twostep said:


> (unless you want to have a 5 year old ride a school bus)


Well, about that. The U.S. DoT and NHTSA are quite clear that the safest mode of transport (at least among vehicular modes) to/from school is a school bus, not your private automobile.

Yes, damn straight I want my 5 year old riding the school bus and not being privately chauffeured. Forget the cost: it's simply much safer. Of course I'll walk my 5 year old to the bus stop, wait for the bus, and see that he/she gets on. (This assumes we're not just walking to school due to distance.) But I'm not going to be hovering over my child _inside_ the school building either, and the safety statistics are quite clear on the safest way to get to school.

In Tokyo I've seen 6 year olds ride the Tokyo Metro (subway train system) to/from school _on their own_. I think a 5 year old can manage a ride on a big yellow U.S. school bus, and NHTSA agrees with me.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

BBCWatcher said:


> Well, about that. The U.S. DoT and NHTSA are quite clear that the safest mode of transport (at least among vehicular modes) to/from school is a school bus, not your private automobile.
> 
> Yes, damn straight I want my 5 year old riding the school bus and not being privately chauffeured. Forget the cost: it's simply much safer. Of course I'll walk my 5 year old to the bus stop, wait for the bus, and see that he/she gets on. (This assumes we're not just walking to school due to distance.) But I'm not going to be hovering over my child _inside_ the school building either, and the safety statistics are quite clear on the safest way to get to school.
> 
> In Tokyo I've seen 6 year olds ride the Tokyo Metro (subway train system) to/from school _on their own_. I think a 5 year old can manage a ride on a big yellow U.S. school bus, and NHTSA agrees with me.


That is your personal opinion and has nothing to do with Op's question. We recently lived in an area with no sidewalks. School bus for elementary did not pick up within a three mile radius. Kids had to leave the residential streets.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

twostep said:


> That is your personal opinion and has nothing to do with Op's question.


No, and no. The data are not in question -- this is not personal opinion but statistical fact. _You_ claimed private automobile transportation to/from school was a required or likely expense, not I. It's generally not and, if incurred, generally less safe.



> We recently lived in an area with no sidewalks. School bus for elementary did not pick up within a three mile radius. Kids had to leave the residential streets.


That's called an exception, makes sense, and is possible. I have no problem with that. But I disagree with your generalization, and more importantly so does NHTSA. If you had said that private automobile transportation to/from school (or to/from the bus stop) might be a necessary expense in exceptional cases, I would have agreed with you!


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Now, to provide some more actionable advice to Oz_Immi, bear in mind that when you choose your place of residence you're also choosing your public school district, the distances to schools within that district, and travel options to/from those schools. Just like other amenities that you may care about (such as access to public transportation), if you have (or may have) children you should consider schooling when choosing a place to live.

If, like Twostep, you choose a residence that's 3 miles from the nearest school bus stop (and with no public transportation option), then you're probably going to have to rely on some private automobile transport -- perhaps in a carpool with a neighbor that also has children -- at least to the bus stop 3 miles away. But that's a choice. As it happens (and only in hindsight when I realized what they had done), my parents chose a home that meant I could walk to/from public school for every grade I attended, and I did. During the first year they arranged for a high school age student to walk with me to/from school every day. Their choice is another possible choice, a very common one.

You have the opportunity to make these (and other) choices since you're relocating. Choose as you wish. Check the district(s), school locations, and transport options (school bus routes, walking routes, public transportation, etc.) And check other amenities you care about. There are even some Web sites like Walkscore.com that can give you a basic _idea_ of neighborhood amenities, although there's no substitute for "on the ground" investigation. Which also means, in my view, you should _never_ buy a home or sign a long-term lease when you first arrive. (Score another point for my parents. When they moved they found a temporary residential arrangement they liked, then they took their time to find a permanent residence. They were smart, but again I didn't realize it until much later.)

Good luck!


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

I'd never heard of walkscore.com before. Fascinating. 

"20005 is the 3rd most walkable zip code in Washington D.C. with 12,497 residents"


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## Oz_Immi (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks guys! An awesome discussion and some great advice being shared here. I highly appreciate that.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

OT
BBC - you are my Huckleberry Yes, I do understand that DFW is a rural area.


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