Microschools often have limited budgets (like so many educators), so finding ways to save money is key. But here’s some good news: there are lots of educator discounts and ways to get inexpensive and even free school supplies, textbooks, materials, and more! Here are some of the best ideas to help you stay on budget and get more for your money.
Free Curriculum Programs, Textbooks, and Lesson Plans for Microschools
Developing a curriculum, choosing textbooks and online resources, and formulating lesson plans are some of the most challenging parts of setting up a Microschool. You can pay for complete programs and texts, of course, but that can be pricey if you’re not spreading the cost out over hundreds of students. Fortunately, with a little bit of searching, you’re likely to find well-designed programs, texts, lessons, and materials that won’t cost you a penny.
Textbooks
These days, many younger students don’t use paper textbooks at all. Instead, they complete lessons online, supplemented with printable worksheets and other materials. Secondary students often still use textbooks, though, especially in high school. The easiest way to get free, up-to-date texts is to use digital options. Though most free online textbook sites focus on texts for the secondary and college level, you’ll find some K-8 textbooks available too. These are some of the most popular sites to try.
Curriculum Programs
Looking for complete curriculum programs in subjects across the K-12 spectrum? These sites offer quality options at no cost.
Lesson Plans and Educational Activities
Many educators generously share their lesson plans and educational activities online for others to adapt and use. Try a web search for pretty much any topic you plan to teach, and you’re bound to find plenty of free materials. You can also visit these sites, which host huge collections of free educational resources like lesson plans, worksheets, and printables.
- Annenberg Learner
- Education.com
- Education World
- Illuminations
- Illustrative Mathematics
- Kids Discover
- OER Commons
- Share My Lesson
- Teacher Created Resources
- We Are Teachers
Where to Find Cheap or Free School Supplies and Furniture
Building a unique learning environment can be one of the most rewarding parts of a Microschool. Schools that operate in person need furniture like desks or tables, seating options, whiteboards, and more. You’ll likely have to spend some money setting up your learning space initially, but we’ve got helpful tips to make those dollars stretch a little bit further.
Shop With NAEIR
This amazing organization collects merchandise donations from generous American corporations and gives them to nonprofits. If your Microschool is a nonprofit, you can sign up to receive their catalogs and act quickly when you see items you want. Even with service and handling fees, this is often a cost-effective way to get high-quality items.
Check Freecycle, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and More
Online groups have all kinds of stuff on offer, often for free. (Remember to use smart practices when buying or bartering online, and hold meetups in safe neutral locations to pick up your items.)
Try Donors Choose
For years, this popular website has been helping teachers, classrooms, and schools raise money for education.
Ask for Corporate and Local Business Donations
It doesn’t hurt to ask! Need a specific item? Local businesses might be willing to donate or offer steep discounts on floor and demo models that are lightly used.
DIY What You Need
If you’re handy (or know someone who is), you can save money by building your own shelves, cubbies, desks, and more. Another option: upcycling. Visit thrift stores and look for classroom items that just need a little DIY love.
Stocking Your Microschool Library on the Cheap
A diverse library of books enhances every kind of education, but Microschools don’t always have the funds to establish a big collection on their own. Here are some ways to ensure your students have access to all the books they could possibly want, without breaking the bank.
Rotate Books from Your Local Library
Many libraries now have policies allowing members to check out an unlimited number of books. Microschools often take field trips to the local library, encouraging each child to pick out a few books for the classroom. Every month, students can return the books they got last month and select new ones to keep the Microschool’s selection fresh!
Buy Used Books
Used bookstores and rummage sales are both great sources for used books. Another hot spot is public libraries, which frequently offer unneeded books for sale to the public at extremely low prices. (Tip: This can also be a terrific place to grab old magazines for collages and other learning activities.)
Apply for Book Grants
There are grants available just for classroom books, like these:
- Dollar General Literacy Foundation
- Snapdragon Book Foundation
- The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries
Hold a Book Drive
Get the word out in your community that your Microschool welcomes any and all book donations. You can always filter out any books you don’t want and pass them on to others yourself.
Shop Scholastic Warehouse Sales
If you’re near a Scholastic physical location, keep an ear to the ground for their periodic warehouse sales. They offer great deals, with many books at least half off. No store near you? Check out their online Warehouse deals.
Ask Half-Price Books for a Donation
The well-known low-price book chain considers donation requests submitted online here. Note that you’ll have to pick up the books at a store yourself, so make sure HPB is in your area before applying.
Get Free Books at ThriftBooks
In addition to low-priced used books, this site gives teachers a free book for every four books they purchase.
Work With Local Bookstores
Build relationships with your local booksellers, and they might be willing to offer you special discounts or donations, especially of overstocks and lightly damaged books.
Use Teacher Discounts at Bookstores
These stores offer discounts just for teachers!
- Bookmans: 20% off
- Books-a-Million: 20% off
- Half-Price Books: 10% off
Go Digital
Microschools often don’t have a whole lot of room for shelves of books, so going digital can be a smart choice no matter what. Stock up on tablets or e-readers for your students, then check out these free or very low-cost options for accessing ebooks.
Technology Discounts for Microschools
Today’s classrooms run on technology like laptops, tablets, and projectors, as well as the apps and programs they use. Luckily, teachers and schools qualify for discounts and special pricing at many brands, including these:
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Apple Education Pricing
- Canva
- Eduporium
- Google for Education
- HP
- Lenovo
- Loom
- Microsoft
- Samsung
Educator Discounts for Microschools
Loads of businesses offer discounts for teachers and schools. They often require ID or verification of some sort, though—you might need to use a service like ID.me to confirm your teaching certification or school registration. Check out the discounts available at sites like these:
- Costco: New teacher members receive a gift card worth up to $40
- Joann: 15% off purchases
- Michaels: 15% off purchases
- Office Depot: Register for 5% Back to Schools Program to earn money for your Microschool
- Party City: Register for up to 20% off purchases
- Headspace: Free access for teachers
Free Online Learning Resources for Microschools
Find additional free lessons, activities, videos, and more at these sites.
Free STEM Resources
Check out our complete roundup of free STEM teaching resources here.
Free ELA and Social Studies Resources
- CommonLit: Free reading passages for grades 3-12
- DOGO News: News articles written at student reading levels with comprehension questions
- EDSITEment: Lesson plans and learning activities for ELA and social studies topics
- Learning for Justice: Free resources for teaching social justice at every age
- Library of Congress: Primary source lessons and sets
- The New York Times Learning Network: Lesson plans, writing prompts, and more that coordinate with news articles from the NYT site
- Newsela: Leveled reading passages on current events topics
- ReadWorks: Leveled reading passages with vocabulary and comprehension questions
- ReadWriteThink: Standards-based resources for ELA
More Free Education Resources
- ArtsEdge: Standards-based arts education resources for K-12 from the Kennedy Center
- EVERFI: Lessons on social emotional learning and financial literacy
- FunBrain: Games, printables, and more for K-8 learners
- National Gallery of Art: In addition to online resources, teachers can borrow teaching packets and DVDs for an entire school year
- SchoolTube: A school-safe version of YouTube
- Teacher.org: Lesson plans for K-12 on a variety of topics
- Yale–New Haven Teachers Institute: High-quality lessons on every topic for K-12
