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Want to see how the number would work for your town? This interactive calculator makes it easy for you to see the benefits of the School Choice Plan in your town. All you need to do is punch in some numbers that are readily available from your town. Then you can experiment with grant sizes and other factors to instantly see the positive impacts for your town. Great for entering "what if" numbers. Try it out, below! Point to the "i" next to each factor for more info.

School Grants Calculator

Operating Budget

Number of Students

Current Per-Pupil Cost

Budget % for Fixed Costs

Estimated Bonding Cost

# of Grants to be Awarded

Amount of the Grant to be Given

Public School Incentive

NET 10 YEAR SAVINGS FROM GRANTS:

show/hide additional factors

Unreliable % of District Budget:
Annual % Cost Increases:
Estimate Annual Inflation Rate:
Eligible Students in Non-Public Schools:
Grants Only for Special Needs Students?:

Q: How are the savings of not sending grant recepients to public schools over 10 years calculated? A: The per pupil cost is increased each successive year by multiplying the previous year's per pupil cost by the "Average Annual Per Pupil Cost Increase."
year 1	year 2	year 3	year 4	year 5	year 6	year 7	year 8	year 9	year 10

Q: How is the cost of giving grants for non-public schooling over 10 years calculated? A: The "Amount of Grant" is increased each year by multiplying the previous year's grant times the estimated inflation rate. This estimate can be changed by modifying the estimated annual inflation rate in the box above (default is 2%).
year 1	year 2	year 3	year 4	year 5	year 6	year 7	year 8	year 9	year 10

Q: What should be done for parents who already educate their child privately? A: That depends on why the grants are given. If grants are offered to parents of learning disabled children to control the cost of special education, there is little impact on pupils already in private schools. But if grants are offered to all public school children, either by lottery or on first-come-first-served basis, it may seem fair to offer grants to the same percentage of children already in private school. Here is the annual cost of such an offer:
year 1	year 2	year 3	year 4	year 5	year 6	year 7	year 8	year 9	year 10

Q: How are the net savings over 10 years calculated? A: To take into account the possible loss of any out-of-district funding, the per pupil cost is multiplied by the "% of District Budget from Unreliable Sources" and increased each year by the rate of inflation.
year 1	year 2	year 3	year 4	year 5	year 6	year 7	year 8	year 9	year 10

Next, the grant for a given year (second line above), the adjustment for unreliable sources (third line above), and any "Public School Incentive" are subtracted from the public school per pupil cost for that same year (first line line above) and that result is multiplied by the "Number of Grants to Be Awarded."
yr. 1 savings	yr. 2 savings	yr. 3 savings	yr. 4 savings	yr. 5 savings	yr. 6 savings	yr. 7 savings	yr. 8 savings	yr. 9 savings	yr. 10 savings

In the case where grants will be given to students already in public school -- as opposed to incoming students who would force new school construction -- an adjustment has been made for the fact that fixed maintenance costs do not change with a school building's census. This was accomplished by multiplying the per pupil costs in first line above by [1 minus the "% of Annual Budget for Fixed Costs"]. The revised per pupil costs are indicated below:
year 1	year 2	year 3	year 4	year 5	year 6	year 7	year 8	year 9	year 10

NABR and The Yankee Institute jointly developed this calculator.
For answers to questions about the calculator, please call NABR at 203 938 9086.
Or click here to send us your questions or comments in an email message.

Number of Students

This should be the total number of students enrolled in the schools you are considering.

Current Per-Pupil Cost

This number is automatically calculated for you, based on your entries for Operating Budget and Number of Students.

Budget % for Fixed Costs

Some non-teaching and non-administrative costs, such as heating and grounds upkeep, would stay constant, regardless of the number of students in the building(s). What percentage of your annual grade range budget is for these fixed costs?

Estimated Bonding Cost

If a new building or addition to an existing building is being contemplated for the grade range under study, please indicate the total estimated bonding cost (equals estimate of all interest and principal repayment over the life of the bond). Otherwise enter "0".

Number of Grants to be Awarded

If grants are an alternative to school construction, their number should equal the estimated future census, minus the number of students in current building(s).

Amount of the Grant to be Given

Experience suggests that many public school parents will take advantage of grants equaling as little as one third of the current per pupil cost. This is a good number to start with and can always be fine-tuned, depending on the calculated savings.

Public School Incentive

To address any fear in the community that offering private school grants would somehow harm the public schools, a "bonus" could be added to the public school budget for every grant made.

Unreliable % of District Budget

If use of public money for private school grants might be opposed by an out-of-district funder (i.e., the state legislature), enter the % of that funder's contribution to the school budget as a precent.

Annual % Cost Increases

Take the average percentage increase of the grade range budget over the last 3 to 5 years and enter here as a percent. For example, let's say the school budget went up 6% last year, 7% the year before, and 5% the year before that. Your average increase over three years is 6%.

Estimate Annual Inflation Rate

The default calculation assumes a 2% annual inflation rate. You can change that number if you anticipate a different rate of inflation.

Eligible Students in Non-Public Schools

Estimated students in this grade range already enrolled in private or religious schools, who will be eligible to receive a grant.

Grants for Special Needs Students Only?

If grants are only for special education, make sure the budget fields and student numbers reflect only the special needs students in the community, not the full student population.