Philadelphia Public Schools Budget & Finance

Students, parents: How much are senior dues this year?

| April 11, 2024, 7:19pm UTC

High school graduates in red gowns line up outside on a green grassy field with blue sky in the background. — Philadelphia schools use senior dues to pay for graduation expenses, class gifts, luncheons, and more. We want to know how much your school is charging and what those dues cover. (Carly Sitrin / Chalkbeat)

It’s that time of year again: Schools across Philadelphia are collecting senior dues for this year’s graduating students to go toward prom, senior luncheons, class t-shirts, gifts, and graduation expenses.

According to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District, the average cost for these fees citywide is $200 per student, but we’ve heard those amounts vary widely from school to school and from year to year. Some are all-inclusive and cover prom tickets, class trips, and portraits, while others only pay for graduation-specific costs.

We want to know how much you’ve been asked to pay for senior dues, what they pay for, and how you feel about this practice.

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

The Latest

More Michigan kids are still missing too much school compared to pre-pandemic years

New data shows the state’s chronic absenteeism rate was still significantly higher last year compared to 2018-19.

Lori Higgins

and

Hannah Dellinger

| September 17

Chronic absenteeism in NYC public schools spiked during the pandemic. It hasn’t returned to normal.

Elevated rates of absenteeism have bedeviled school districts across the country in the wake of the pandemic.

Alex Zimmerman

| September 17

The Trump administration says it’s taking away funding from Chicago Public Schools over Black student plan, transgender student policy

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights wrote to the district that it has found its Black Student Success Plan and a policy on gender identity are discriminatory.

Mila Koumpilova

| September 17

Teacher speech is under scrutiny after Charlie Kirk’s killing. What does it mean for the classroom?

Debates about what teachers can say — and what they should say — have intensified as GOP officials seek consequences for some who’ve commented about Kirk’s death on social media.

Erica Meltzer

| September 17

Dylan, estudiante de secundaria detenido por ICE, revela cómo es su vida ahora

"Esta detención injusta ha frustrado y paralizado mi educación y mis esfuerzos momentáneamente", dijo Dylan. "Pero no me hará renunciar a esforzarme por alcanzar mis metas educativas".

Michael Elsen-Rooney

and

Amy Zimmer

| September 17

Tennessee lawmaker considers suing state over lack of voucher program details

How many students are enrolled in Tennessee’s new voucher program? The state won’t say.

Melissa Brown

| September 17