St. Charles School District 303 families pay less for kindergarten next year but more for driver’s ed

St. Charles parents will pay almost $500 less for their students' kindergarten fees next school year, but $200 more for their teens to learn to drive.

District 303 School Board members approved new fees for the 2025-26 school year in a unanimous vote as part of the consent agenda at their Feb. 10 meeting.

Beginning in the fall, kindergarten fees will be reduced by $477, decreasing from $1,440 to $963.

There are no changes to early childhood fees.

Registration fees for elementary and middle schools will increase by $5. All other fees are unchanged.

Parents of high school students will see the most fee increases. While there were more than a dozen fees raised, most increases were between $1 and $5.

The only major fee increase in the district will be for driver’s education. It increased by $200, bringing the total fee to $600 a student.

Those who register and pay in full by July 31 will receive an early bird discount of 10% on early childhood and kindergarten registration fees and a $10 discount on middle, elementary and high school fees.