How to use the field trip cost per student calculator
- Enter the number of students and the students per adult your trip requires.
- Enter how many teachers are going, since they count as adults, and the costs: transport, student tickets, adult tickets and any meals or other costs.
- Tick the box if adult tickets are paid from the trip budget, or clear it if adults are free or paid separately.
- Read the cost per student, the total, the adults needed, the chaperones to find and the table of costs.
Formula
Adults needed = students / students per adult, rounded up
Chaperones to find = adults needed - teachers going (never below 0)
Total = transport + students x student ticket + adults x adult ticket + meals + other costs
Cost per student = total / students, rounded to the cent
The adults going are the larger of the adults needed and the teachers going. Meals are counted for every student and every adult.
A trip for 60 students
Sixty students with one adult for every 10 need 6 adults. With a $400 bus, $8 tickets for students and adults and no meals, the total is $400 + 60 x $8 + 6 x $8 = $928.00, which is $15.47 per student, and 6 chaperones are needed.
For 45 students with one adult for every 8 and 2 teachers going, 6 adults are needed, so 4 chaperones must be found. A $350 bus, $12 tickets, $6 meals for 51 people and $25 of other costs total $350 + $540 + $72 + $306 + $25 = $1,293.00, or $28.73 per student. For 30 students with one adult for every 6, 1 teacher and free adult tickets, 4 chaperones are needed and the total of $280 + $300 = $580.00 is $19.33 per student.
Chaperones and ratios
The ratio comes from your school or program, and it can differ by age and by kind of trip. The page rounds the number of adults up, since a partial adult does not exist, and counts teachers toward the total. If you have more teachers than the ratio needs, the adults going equals the number of teachers, and no chaperones are needed.
To split a shared cost among people use the trip cost split calculator, and for a larger trip plan see the trip budget planner. The catering cost per head calculator helps with food, and the bell schedule generator plans the school day around the trip.
Rounding the cost
Dividing the total by the number of students rarely gives a whole number of cents. The page rounds the cost per student to the nearest cent, half up, so the amounts collected could differ from the total by a few cents. Round up to a whole dollar when you collect fees if you prefer, and keep the difference in the trip fund.
Assumptions and limits
- The students per adult figure is your own requirement, and one adult is needed for each full or partial group.
- Teachers going count as adults toward the ratio and may need tickets and meals like other adults.
- The transport cost is a total for the trip. Other costs are totals too.
- Taxes, fees, scholarships and refunds are not included.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate field trip cost per student?
Add all costs for the trip, then divide by the number of students. A $928.00 trip for 60 students is $15.47 per student.
How many chaperones do I need?
Divide the students by the number of students per adult and round up, then take off the teachers who are going. 60 students at 10 per adult need 6 adults.
Should adult tickets be in the cost?
It depends on your program. The checkbox lets you include adult tickets in the trip cost or leave them out.
Are meals counted for adults?
Yes. A meal cost is applied to every student and every adult going.