Comparing costs of school supplies

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Kids across central Indiana will be going back to school in a few days.

Districts will want kids to bring in a long list of supplies for the year.

I-Team 8 took lists from four different districts to see which one was the most expensive.

To make things equal between the districts, I-Team 8 only added up the lists for sixth grade. Some were more expensive than others, but all of them were more than $100.

Broad Ripple Middle School in the Indianapolis Public Schools system has 21 items on its list for sixth graders this year.

For every item I-Team 8 placed in the checkout bin on Amazon, as much penny pinching was done as possible.

For 21 items, including a scientific calculator, Broad Ripple Middle School’s list totaled $145.

Next up, Avon Intermediate School West : its list included a backpack. I-Team 8 picked out the cheapest one on Amazon. I-Team 8 chose not to add an optional item of a wireless mouse, so the cart ended up having 23 items in it for $140.

Next, I-Team 8 added up the list for Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate and Junior High School in Fishers. Again trying to find the best deals, I-Team 8 loaded 22 items into the bin for a grand total of $108.

Last up was Center Grove Middle School Central in northwestern Johnson County. Its list had 21 items for their sixth graders. They also had physical education clothes listed for $20. Adding that into the Amazon bin, the total came to $135.

All of the schools were within roughly $30 of each other.

The biggest difference between the least- and the most-expensive list was the quantity of items and if the school wants students to have scientific calculators.

The only district I-Team 8 could not get a supply list for was Carmel Clay Schools . That Hamilton County district buys the supplies in bulk, and has parents pay a materials fee at the beginning of the year. The district said the fees for sixth graders this year will be determined by what classes the students take.

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