Families Head Back to School on a Budget

But the schools have their own problems. Some schools have had to charge more for lunch due to rising food prices. They've also cut back on after-school programs and field trips to save money on fuel and electric costs.

Families pick up back to school items at discount stories like this Wal-mart in San Jose, Calif., to cut back on costs.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Expensive gas also means fewer daily bus routes. By consolidating, districts are placing an added financial burden on parents to drive their kids to school. For many, the two-mile walk without the bus is just too far.

"It's going to be almost impossible for some people and I just don't understand it," said Diana Turner, another Kingman mother.

For thousands of parents and their kids across the country, going back to school on a shoestring budget presents an unexpected math lesson and nights of number-crunching.