AAP $ cost

[Anonymous]

Does AAP cost more $. Like more field trips etc? If so does that get supported through financial aid?

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

The only extra one is if your 6th header has a choice of middle schools, they may take a field trip to both options and the base kids will only go to the zoned middle school. I think this was feee though.

[Anonymous]

Different schools do things differently but nothing about AAP is more expensive.

[Anonymous]

There’s nothing mandatory in the AAP program that costs any more than the general program. You may find your kid surrounded by peers who are in more (or more expensive) enrichment or extracurricular activities. They’re all totally optional, of course, but if you think you or your child will be bothered by peer pressure or a desire to “keep up with the Joneses”, you may notice it.

[Anonymous]

The extra bussing makes it more expensive.

[Anonymous]

I think AAP parents are often more involved and there are more academic extracurricular opportunities at Level IV AAP centers. These cost money but parents pay for it one way or another.

I don’t think the school gets more money from FCPS if that is your question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The extra bussing makes it more expensive.

To the school system, perhaps, but not the individual parent. But even for FCPS it seems to be close to a budget "wash" because the added costs of the buses is off-set by the fact that AAP overall has a higher student-to-teacher ratio than gen ed. The equivalent FTE (with salary, associated benefits etc) add ups. Also, since schools are mandated to provide some form of special education for gifted students so they would need to hire someone at each school to do something extra, provide that person training in gifted ed etc. Having it more centralized saves some money there. So overall, as far as gifted education programs go, it doesn't add a ton of costs even with the bussing.