How do I price my art classes?

Start by calculating your true costs: instructor hourly rate multiplied by total teaching hours, materials per student, coordinator/admin time, and facility overhead. Add risk buffers (typically 15-25%) to account for cancellations and waste. Then add your target profit margin (10-20% is common). Finally, divide the total by your expected enrollment to get a per-student price. Class Price Calculator automates this entire process and models pricing at every enrollment level from your minimum to maximum class size.

What is sliding scale pricing for classes?

Sliding scale (or tiered) pricing offers multiple price points for the same class to improve accessibility. A typical model has three tiers: a Supported tier for participants on limited income (discounted but floored at break-even so you never lose money), a Standard tier at the full calculated price, and a Supporter tier at a premium that helps subsidize the lower tier. Class Price Calculator automatically generates all three tiers with configurable discounts and premiums.

How much should I charge for a workshop?

Workshop pricing depends on your specific cost structure. Factor in your teaching rate (typically $40-75/hour for experienced instructors), materials ($15-50+ per student depending on medium), venue or studio rental, prep and coordination time, and a contingency buffer. For a typical 6-session art class with 10 students, total costs commonly range from $1,500-3,000, putting per-student pricing in the $150-300 range. Use a pricing calculator to model your exact scenario rather than guessing.

Do I need a subscription to use Class Price Calculator?

No. Class Price Calculator is a one-time purchase (pay what you want, starting at $0). It runs entirely in your web browser with no account required, no subscription fees, and zero data collection. Your pricing data stays on your device. Unlike registration platforms like CourseStorm ($119-499/month), this is a standalone tool you own forever.

Class Price Calculator | Sustainable pricing for artists & educators

Whether you're an independent potter hosting your first workshop, a yoga instructor leading a retreat, or a community center director planning a full semester of programming, pricing your classes is tough.

Charge too little, and you burn out. Charge too much, and your classroom stays empty.

Class Price Calculator takes the stress, guilt, and guesswork out of pricing. Originally built to help a real community art center sustain its programming, this tool helps you find the perfect balance between covering your true costs and keeping your classes accessible to your community.

A Real-World Example

The scenario: You're an art center scheduling a 6-session wheel-throwing class, 2.5 hours per session. The instructor charges $50/hour. Clay and glazes run $18 per student. Your education coordinator spends 4 hours on registration, instructor onboarding, and class-day logistics at $30/hour. Your facility charges 15% overhead on all direct costs. You expect 8 to 12 students, with a minimum of 6 to run the class.

The question: What's the right per-student price to cover all of those layers, including a cushion for the kiln element that keeps failing, while still offering a reduced rate for students on limited income?

The answer: Class Price Calculator tallies every cost layer, applies risk buffers you control (25% on instructor, 15% on materials), adds your facility overhead, and folds in a target margin. It shows you the price at every enrollment level from 6 to 12. Turn on tiered pricing and it generates a supported tier (discounted but floored at break-even) and a supporter tier, so the class stays accessible without subsidizing anyone at a loss.

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Why You'll Love It

See Your True Costs

It's easy to forget the hidden costs of teaching. Quickly factor in your hourly rate, materials, studio rental, and prep time so you know exactly what it takes to break even.

Plan for the Real World

What if only three people sign up? What if the class sells out? Model different enrollment scenarios so you are prepared for anything.

Community-Minded Tiered Pricing

Want to offer sliding-scale options? The app easily calculates "Supported," "Standard," and "Supporter" pricing tiers, ensuring your classes remain inclusive without operating at a loss.

Built-In Risk Buffers

Real life happens. Add a gentle buffer to account for wasted materials, last-minute cancellations, or unexpected coordination hiccups.

Practice What We Preach

The tool that helps you set tiered pricing is itself sold with tiered pricing. Pick the tier that fits your season.

Supported

$0+

Pay what you can

If you are in a season of hustle and things are tight, pay what works for you. We want you to have this math on your side regardless.

Get the Calculator Recommended

Standard

$50

The real value

One class priced right pays for this tool many times over. If you teach more than a couple of classes a year, this is what the calculator is worth to your practice.

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High Five

$100+

Fund the next tool

You ran the numbers and found hundreds in missing costs you were not charging for? Send that gratitude back. Every dollar funds creative education at the Lander Art Center.

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Built From Experience, Not Theory

Years of real-world use at a working community art center

100s

Of classes priced, from pottery to yoga to music lessons

Mission: making creative education sustainable

"We built this tool because we needed it ourselves. Every semester, we were guessing at class prices and hoping we'd break even. Now we know our numbers before the first student signs up."

Lander Art Center, Lander, Wyoming

Do Good While You Work

By using Class Price Calculator, you are directly investing in the arts.

100% of the proceeds from this app go directly to support the Lander Art Center, funding creative education and community programming.

When you buy Class Price Calculator, you are ensuring that art and education continue to thrive. Let the app do the math, so you can get back to doing what you do best: teaching, creating, and building community.

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Your Data is Yours

No subscriptions. No account required. No data harvesting. Your pricing formulas live only on your device, exactly where they belong.

We don't want your data. We just want to help you teach.

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