Guide
How to set camp and class prices: the math, the discounts and what families see.
To price a camp or a class, work out your cost per seat at the enrollment you expect, add your margin, and check the result against local prices. Then find your break-even enrollment, decide discounts and payment plans before you publish, and advertise the full price families will pay, with any service fee already inside it.
This guide is the worksheet. Every table shows its math with example numbers that are clearly labeled, so you can swap in your own. It also covers the question parents type into a search bar, what camp costs, because your price lands in that context whether you look at it or not.
The short version
- List the fixed cost of running the program once: people, space, insurance and admin share.
- Divide by the enrollment you expect, which is lower than your capacity. Add the cost per child.
- Price = cost per seat / (1 - your target margin). Round to a price that reads cleanly.
- Find your break-even enrollment. If it is close to capacity, the price is too low or the costs are too high.
- Set discounts as fixed dollar amounts with an end date. Know what each one costs per seat.
- Offer a payment plan on anything a family would feel in one payment.
- Put the price families will pay at checkout on the flyer.
- Review prices once a year, before registration opens.
How much does summer camp cost?
The American Camp Association reports day camp tuition averaging from $199 a week to more than $800 a week, and overnight camp from $630 to more than $2,000 a week. Those figures come from its 2018 Business Operations Report, so treat them as dated and check what camps near you charge this season.
Families compare your price with what they already pay for their kids. These are the published reference points we could verify. Each is national, and each has a date.
| What families pay for | Published figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Day camp | $199 to $800+ a week | American Camp Association, 2018 Business Operations Report |
| Overnight camp | $630 to $2,000+ a week | American Camp Association, 2018 Business Operations Report |
| After-school program | $124.10 a week on average, among parents who pay for their child's program | Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM, 2025 |
| Extracurricular activities | $731 a year per child on average | LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, April 2023 |
| A child's primary sport | $1,016 a year for the average sports family, up 46% since 2019 | Aspen Institute Project Play, 2024 data |
Sources, checked 2026-09-17: American Camp Association, Camp Trends: Tuition; Afterschool Alliance, Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many (America After 3PM, October 2025, p. 30); LendingTree, kids' extracurriculars survey; Aspen Institute Project Play, Family spending on youth sports rises 46% over five years.
A national range won't set your price. It tells you the width of the market. For the number that matters, build a local list in an hour: ten programs a family in your area would compare you with, their price, their hours, and what is included. Convert each to a price per hour so a half-day camp and a full-day camp sit on the same line.
Cost is a real barrier for many families. In the same Afterschool Alliance survey, 56% of parents without a child in an after-school program said cost was an important factor. So get the math right first. A price that covers the program is what lets you fund payment plans and scholarship seats, and keep the program open for those families next year.
How do I price a summer camp?
Price one week at a time. Add up the fixed cost of running the week, divide it by the number of campers you expect, and add what each camper costs you in supplies. That is your cost per seat. Divide it by one minus your target margin to get the price, then test it against your local list.
Cost-per-seat worksheet, with the math shown
Example numbers only. Every wage, rent and supply figure is an assumption made up for this worksheet. The week: a day camp for ages 9 to 14, 9 AM to 4 PM, capacity 20, with 16 campers expected.
| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Counselors | 20 campers at 1 adult to 10 means 2 counselors. 2 x 40 hours x $18 (example) | $1,440.00 |
| Director | 40 hours x $25 (example) | $1,000.00 |
| Site rental | Weekly rate (example) | $600.00 |
| Insurance and admin share | Annual costs spread across your weeks (example) | $160.00 |
| Fixed cost of the week | $1,440 + $1,000 + $600 + $160 | $3,200.00 |
| Fixed cost per seat | $3,200 / 16 expected campers | $200.00 |
| Cost per camper | Supplies $15 + shirt and snacks $10 (example) | $25.00 |
| Cost per seat | $200 + $25 | $225.00 |
| Price at a 25% target margin | $225 / (1 - 0.25) = $300, rounded to a clean price | $299.00 |
Example only. The counselor ratio follows American Camp Association standards of one adult for every ten day campers ages 9 to 14. Your state may set its own ratio. The result leaves out payroll taxes, training week and your own pay, so add them to your fixed costs. Source: American Camp Association, How to Choose a Camp: Safety Tips, checked 2026-09-17.
Three choices in that table carry the result. Expected enrollment. Divide by the number you expect, because dividing by capacity hides the empty seats. Plan for empty seats in a first-year week. Admin share. Insurance, software, your accountant and your own planning time are real costs, so spread them across the weeks or classes you run. Target margin. The margin pays you, funds next season's deposits and absorbs a slow week. Pick the percentage on purpose.
Then hold $299 against your local list. If comparable full-day camps near you run well above it, your costs gave you room. If they run well below it, look at the two biggest lines, people and space, before you touch the margin.
How many kids do I need to break even?
Divide the fixed cost of the program by your margin per child. Margin per child is what you keep from one registration after payment processing, less what that child costs you in supplies. Round up. If break-even sits close to capacity, the program only works when it sells out, and that is a pricing problem.
Two examples, side by side: the $299 camp week from the worksheet above, and a 10-week class priced at $240 with room for 12 kids. Same labeled-example rule applies.
| Line | Camp week at $299 | 10-week class at $240 |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed cost | $3,200.00, from the worksheet | $1,000.00: instructor 10 sessions x 1.5 paid hours x $30 = $450, room $250, admin share $300 (all examples) |
| What you keep per registration | $289.77. Family pays $307.97 by card. Stripe processing is $9.23. You pay enrops $0. | $232.53. Family pays $247.20 by card. Stripe processing is $7.47. You pay enrops $0. |
| Cost per child | $25.00 | $12.00 materials (example) |
| Margin per child | $289.77 - $25 = $264.77 | $232.53 - $12 = $220.53 |
| Break-even enrollment | $3,200 / $264.77 = 12.1, so 13 campers | $1,000 / $220.53 = 4.5, so 5 kids |
| At expected enrollment | 16 x $264.77 - $3,200 = $1,036.32 | 8 x $220.53 - $1,000 = $764.24 |
| At capacity | 20 x $264.77 - $3,200 = $2,095.40 | 12 x $220.53 - $1,000 = $1,646.36 |
Example only. The registration math follows enrops pricing: a 3% enrops service fee paid by the family ($8.97 on $299, $7.20 on $240) and Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 on the total. Source for Stripe's rate: Stripe, Pricing and fees, checked 2026-09-17. Your Stripe rates may differ.
Use the break-even number as a calendar tool. It tells you the enrollment at which a week or a class is safe to run, the date by which you need to reach it, and when to merge two thin sections into one full one.
How much should I charge for a kids class?
Run the same worksheet for one class over one term, then express the result per session, because that is how parents compare classes. The $240 example above is $24 a session for ten weeks. Check it against the per-session price of other classes your families can choose, including the ones at their school.
Classes have one cost camps don't: the paid time around the class. An instructor who teaches for 60 minutes is usually on the clock for 90, with setup, cleanup and travel. Price from paid hours. If you run classes inside schools, a room charge or a revenue share changes the math, and the guide to getting into schools works through each model.
Should I offer sibling and early-bird discounts?
Yes, when each one has a job. An early-bird discount buys you early cash and an early read on enrollment. A sibling discount keeps a family's second child in your program. Set both as fixed amounts, give the early-bird an end date, and know what each costs you per discounted seat before you publish it.
Families look for them. The American Camp Association tells parents that camps offer discounts for early registration, a full season and multiple enrollments from one family, and that many camps offer a structured payment plan. Here is what two common discounts do to the $299 camp week.
| Discount | Program price | You keep, after Stripe | Margin per seat | Cost to you per discounted seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | $299.00 | $289.77 | $264.77 | $0.00 |
| Early-bird, $25 off | $274.00 | $265.52 | $240.52 | $24.25 |
| Sibling, 10% off the second child | $269.10 | $260.76 | $235.76 | $29.01 |
Example only, using the same fee and processing math as the break-even table and the $25 cost per camper. Source: American Camp Association, How to Afford Camp, checked 2026-09-17.
Now size it. If 6 of your 16 campers register early, the early-bird costs 6 x $24.25 = $145.50 for the week. In exchange you hold six paid seats months ahead and you know the week is halfway to its break-even of 13. That is a fair trade. A 20% discount open to everyone until the week before camp has no job. It is a lower price with extra steps.
Four rules keep discounts from eating the margin:
- One discount per registration. Decide which one wins when a sibling registers early.
- Dollars over percentages. "$25 off" is easy to read on a flyer and easy to total in your budget.
- A hard end date on early-bird pricing, stated on the registration page.
- Build the expected discounts into the worksheet as a cost line before you set the price.
Should I offer payment plans?
Yes, for any price a family would feel in one payment: a full summer, a semester, a travel season. A payment plan moves the timing of your cash and leaves the price alone. Set the schedule so the last installment lands before the program starts, and say plainly what happens if a payment fails.
Parents also ask about taxes. The IRS says the cost of day camp may count as a work-related expense for the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the cost of overnight camp doesn't. Parents report the provider's name, address and taxpayer identification number on Form 2441, so put your EIN on receipts. Families should confirm their own eligibility with a tax professional.
Source: IRS, Publication 503 (2025), Child and Dependent Care Expenses, checked 2026-09-17.
When should I raise prices?
Review prices once a year, before registration opens, and raise them when the worksheet says so. The triggers are simple: your costs went up, your programs fill weeks before they start, or your price has stood still for two years while wages, rent and insurance moved. Tell returning families first, with the date.
1. Rebuild the cost-per-seat worksheet with this year's wages, rent and insurance quotes.
2. Check the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for the latest 12-month change. It measures the average change over time in the prices urban consumers pay, and it is the number families are living with too.
3. Refresh your local list of ten comparable programs.
4. Set the new price for the next season. Leave a season that is already on sale alone.
5. Email returning families before registration opens: the new price, the date it starts, and the early-bird window that lets them book at a lower one. Keep a discount code ready for families who need help, so the conversation is private and quick.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, checked 2026-09-17.
How does a family-paid service fee show up in the price?
On enrops, the fee is inside the first price a family sees. You set the program price. Families see one total from the first screen, with the enrops service fee included, and a lower total if they pay by bank. The price families see first is the price they pay. Put that total on your flyer.
A family-paid service fee is common for kids activities and camps. Where programs lose families is a fee that appears at the last step. In Baymard Institute's survey of U.S. online shoppers, extra costs such as fees were the most common reason for abandoning a checkout, cited by 40%, and 12% left because they couldn't see the total cost up front. That research covers online shopping in general, and the lesson carries: show the full price early.
Source: Baymard Institute, Reasons for Abandonments During Checkout, checked 2026-09-17.
What families pay on enrops, to the cent
The enrops service fee is 3% per registration, or 2% when the family pays by bank, with a $1.99 minimum and a maximum of $14.99 by card or $9.99 by bank. Below $66.33 the minimum applies either way, so no discount line appears.
| Your program price | Listed price (card) | Paying by bank | Family saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25 drop-in | $26.99 | $26.99 | Minimum applies |
| $45 class | $46.99 | $46.99 | Minimum applies |
| $80 short course | $82.40 | $81.99 | $0.41 |
| $240 session | $247.20 | $244.80 | $2.40 |
| $299 camp week | $307.97 | $304.98 | $2.99 |
| $600 semester | $614.99 | $609.99 | $5.00 |
| $1,200 camp | $1,214.99 | $1,209.99 | $5.00 |
Where the money goes on a $240 session, paid by card
When you type a price into enrops, the line under the field reads "Families pay $247.20. Use $247.20 anywhere you advertise this program." Do that. Flyers, emails and the school newsletter should carry the number a parent will see at checkout. Prefer that families see your price with nothing added? Turn on the setting to cover the fee, and it comes out of your payout.
The fee is refunded to the family whenever the registration is refunded. No service fee on donations, tips, gift add-ons or $0 registrations. Payment plans split the total into the installments you set, with no interest, plan fee or late fee, and the service fee is the same as paying in full.
Where enrops fits
enrops is where the price you just worked out goes live. You create the program, set the price, add discount codes for siblings and early registration, turn on a payment plan, and share one link. Families register, sign your waiver and pay on their phone. enrops is free for businesses. Your only cost is Stripe's standard processing. See pricing for the full table and a calculator.
How fast is setup? In our production test on July 25, 2026, a new account went from signup to a live registration link in about 3 to 4.5 minutes, had Stripe connected by minute 5 to 7, and parents completed checkout in about 1.5 to 4.5 minutes.
Start from the summer camp registration form template or the class registration form template, click through a sample registration to see the price the way a parent does, see enrops for camps and enrops for classes, or estimate what unfinished signups cost you with the registration loss calculator.
Free for businesses. Live in under 5 minutes.
Questions operators ask about pricing camps and classes
How much does summer camp cost?
The American Camp Association reports day camp tuition averaging from $199 to more than $800 a week, and overnight camp from $630 to more than $2,000 a week. The figures come from its 2018 Business Operations Report, so check what camps near you charge this season.
How do I calculate cost per seat?
Add the fixed cost of running the program once: people, space, insurance and admin share. Divide by the enrollment you expect, which is lower than capacity. Add the cost per child for supplies. In this guide's example, a $3,200 week with 16 expected campers and $25 in supplies costs $225 per seat.
What margin should a camp or class aim for?
Pick a target on purpose and test it. The margin has to pay you, fund next season's deposits and absorb a slow week. This guide's example uses 25%, which turns a $225 cost per seat into a $299 price. Your costs and your local market decide your number.
How do I find my break-even enrollment?
Divide the fixed cost of the program by your margin per child, then round up. Margin per child is what you keep from one registration after payment processing, less supplies. In this guide's examples, a $299 camp week breaks even at 13 campers and a $240 class at 5 kids.
How big should a sibling discount be?
Big enough to matter to a family and small enough that the seat still carries its costs. Work it out per seat. In this guide's example, 10% off a second child's $299 week costs you $29.01 and leaves a margin of $235.76 on that seat.
Should payment plans cost more than paying in full?
A plan moves the timing of your cash and can leave the price alone. On enrops, payment plans split the total into the installments you set, with no interest, plan fee or late fee, and the enrops service fee is the same as paying in full.
How does the enrops service fee appear to families?
It is included in the price they see from the first screen. A $240 session shows as $247.20, or $244.80 when the family pays by bank. The fee is 3%, or 2% by bank, with a $1.99 minimum and a maximum of $14.99 by card or $9.99 by bank, per registration.
What does enrops cost the business?
enrops is free for businesses. You pay enrops $0 per transaction unless you choose to cover the fee for your families. Your only cost is Stripe's standard processing. On a $240 session paid by card, Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 is $7.47, and you net $232.53.
Your price could be live today.
Create the registration, set the price, connect Stripe, share the link. Families see one price, pay in one place, and the money lands in your own Stripe account.
Free for businesses. Live in under 5 minutes.