Enrichment · Life Skills

Every bus, ticket and
waiver, priced in one place.

Enter who is going, the bus and the costs. The calculator works out how many buses you need at two or three to a seat, whether you have enough adults, what the whole trip costs, and the fee each paying family covers once funding and waived fees are counted.

Budget a tripWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

The trip budget

The worked example is made up: 84 fifth graders and 10 adults at a science museum, two buses, a planetarium show, two substitutes, $1,100 from the PTA and a grant, and 12 fees waived. Use your own quotes and your district’s rules. Nothing you enter leaves this browser.

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What you get

Enrichment · Life SkillsAlso for Advancement · School Operations$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
The buses needed from the rated capacity and riders to a seat, the adults needed at your ratio, every cost line and the total, the cost per student, the amount left after school funds and grants, and the fee per paying student after waived fees, rounded up to the dollar. A one-page budget sheet prints for approval and the lines download as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
Teachers, club and activity sponsors, and the school office staff and administrators who approve and pay for trips.
Format
Browser tool. Works on a phone, tablet or computer; the fee moves as you type. Prints a one-page budget sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment; also listed for School Operations (school office and trip approvals).
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the students, the adults going and the students-per-adult ratio your school sets.
  2. Enter the bus’s rated capacity and whether riders sit three to a seat (small children) or two (older students and adults).
  3. Add the quotes: each bus, admission for students and adults, free adult tickets, any per-student extra, substitutes and other fixed costs.
  4. Add the money already raised and the number of students whose fees are waived.
  5. Read the fee per paying student and print the budget sheet for approval.

Budget a trip

How the budget is worked out

Seats first, then costs, then what is left to collect.

1 Buses and adultsRiders per bus4872 rated ÷ 3 × 2 to a seatBuses294 riders ÷ 48, rounded upAdults needed984 ÷ 10, rounded up2 The costsBuses + admission$1,666$850 + $756 + 5 × $12Show + substitutes$52284 × $3 + 2 × $135Total$2,188$26.05 a student3 What each paying family coversLeft after funding$1,088$2,188 − $600 − $500Fee per paying student$16$1,088 ÷ 72, rounded up1 Buses and adultsBuses294 riders, 48 a busAdults9 needed84 ÷ 10Total cost$2,188buses, tickets, show, subs2 After fundingLeft$1,088after $1,100Payers7284 − 12 waived3 The feePer paying student$16$1,088 ÷ 72, rounded up
The worked example: 84 fifth graders and 10 adults on two buses; the trip costs $2,188, and after $1,100 of funding and 12 waived fees each paying student covers $16.

The arithmetic

A bus’s rated capacity counts three small children to a seat, so the seats are the capacity divided by 3; at two to a seat, a bus carries two riders per seat. Buses = riders ÷ riders per bus, rounded up. Adults needed = students ÷ the ratio, rounded up. The total adds each bus, student admission, paid adult admission (adults minus free tickets), the per-student extra, substitutes and other costs. The fee is what is left after funding divided by the students who pay, rounded up to the dollar.

Rules that come from elsewhere

Chaperone ratios, transportation rules, fees and fee waivers are set by your district and state; follow them. School bus capacity ratings assume three small elementary children to a seat; older students and adults need more room, and every rider should sit fully within the seat. Students with disabilities must have an equal opportunity to take part in field trips under Section 504 and the ADA, so plan accessible transportation and any aide early.

Sources

  1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nhtsa.gov. School Bus Safety, and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 222, School bus passenger seating and occupant protection (49 CFR 571.222).
  2. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 34 CFR 104.37: nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities.
  3. Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II, 28 CFR 35.130: public entities may not exclude people with disabilities from their programs and activities.
  4. National Association for Pupil Transportation (napt.org): school transportation practices for trips and activity runs.

The worked example is made up and is not a price list. The page adds up the figures you enter; your district’s policies govern chaperones, transportation, fees and waivers. Everything stays in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.