The Cost of Being a Senior Hawk

Public school students may not pay tuition, but that doesn't mean they and their families get off cheap. Here's a snapshot of some of the expenses associated with senior year. We spoke with senior —also a —who helped us with these numbers.

$125: fee to play a sport (it's higher for hockey and, as one of our readers pointed out, there's a $375 cap per family)

$75: yearbook cost

$80: senior prom tickets (and, of course, add a couple hundred on top of that for a tux or dress, limo and flowers)

$450: lunch money for the year ($2.50 multiplied by 180 days)

$20: estimated cost of pencils, pens and notebooks for the year

$20: cap and gown

$10: class t-shirt

So, if you're a Class of 2012 Scarlet Hawk who eats school lunch every day, plays a sport, attends prom, buys a yearbook, uses writing utensils and paper, and graduates, you're looking at spending a minimum of $780 this year. If you're not a prom-dress bargain shopper and don't have a tux handy, you're looking at closer to $1,000.