Standing before a panel of expert judges, a student confidently presents a new marketing plan, highlighting economic strategies and visuals that have been curated after months of preparation. Their teammates watch from across the room, offering silent support and motivation. It took hard work and determination to get here—a year of local competitions, state-level contests and late nights of practice led them to this final national competition. 

This event represents one of the numerous extracurricular opportunities offered to high schools across the nation. Competitive extracurricular activities such as the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and DECA, formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America, are popular among many students. Unlike clubs confined just to the school or local level, these organizations have networks across the nation. At West High, these competitive clubs have become a prominent part of student culture. Numerous students participate in one or more of these clubs to explore career paths and build their college resumes. In all of these organizations, West High sends qualifiers to state and nationals each year and places among the top students in Missouri.

Yet behind the polished presentations and national trophies lies a quieter reality—participation often begins with a financial commitment that not every student can afford. DECA claims to be inclusive, NSDA has its own Student Leadership Council and HOSA’s mission claims to strive for collaboration. However, these activities come with a steep price tag, making them less inclusive than they assert to be. The average travel expense to attend the national competition for NSDA is between $1,500 and $3,000. For FBLA, West High students must pay between $1000 and $1400, depending on fundraising initiatives. These enormous costs raise the question: What are the consequences to those who can’t afford it?

The problem: Wealth gap

Across all clubs and activities, inequity gaps are significant and well-documented. In fact, 27% of households earning less than $60,000 a year noted that costs of programs were a major factor in determining participation for their child. 24% reported no participation in sports, arts or clubs at all due to high prices

The inability to participate in school activity trips can have disastrous implications for a student’s future. Extracurricular activities often provide opportunities for students to further their career interests and engage with other like-minded students. For example, FBLA offers opportunities for students to start their own businesses, HOSA provides internships at hospitals, and both FBLA and HOSA host careers conventions, connecting students with professionals. However, clubs like NSDA, FBLA, DECA and HOSA are truly “pay to play activities,” meaning a cost is required to participate. These costs can be both direct, through participation fees and dues, or indirect, through external coaching fees and transportation. 

Representing the majority of cost burdens, students must pay for transportation—often including airfare. As competitions move to the state and national level, these costs only increase. Adding up, the expenses can create barriers for low-income students and potentially exclude them from activities that would provide significant future academic and social benefits.

Business teacher Andy Croley recently became the sponsor for FBLA and is responsible for organizing the funds for the club. West High’s FBLA team boasts an impressive record with exactly 100 members and several state and national qualifiers.

“Money’s money, and times are tight for some people. [Cost] is always gonna be a factor. Especially when times are tough, for public schools and funding, the price for everything has gone up,” Croley said. 

Implications for student futures

Cost barriers are especially harmful for those building a college resume. Colleges often scrutinize extracurricular involvement when evaluating for admission. In fact, activities make up 30% of the entire college application. Admissions officers highly value activities that go beyond participation and have a tangible impact. Through competitive activities, students can list prestigious organizational titles and awards on their applications. Competing at the district, state and national levels gives many students a boost for their applications. This means, however, that students who can’t afford to compete have weaker applications compared to their wealthier peers. This, in turn, only perpetuates the inequality in the American school system, with 89% of wealthy students attending college while only 51% of lower-income students pursue postsecondary education. 

“I think that [costs could deter students]. I think this can apply to any situation as well; money is a big part of pursuing things. When you can’t afford to do those things, it’s a barrier financially [and] mentally. If you think, ‘oh, I can’t afford this,’ so I have less worth, or [lack the] ability to do the things I want to do, that [becomes] a problem,” DECA member and junior Gloria Prajapathi said.

For students who have to work to support their families, the burden only multiplies. Of employed teenagers, 46% percent of their families rely on the income of students to afford living expenses. Finding time for activities is already a challenge when balancing a job, but when combined with a hefty fee to pay, students have to prioritize paying for food and bills over a school trip. 

“A lot of people who tend to do things like DECA already have their foot [in] the door with [the] finance community. I wouldn’t say that [the programs are] discriminatory, but I think the way that it’s panning out, the demographic at these meetings [is] a very specific type of person. There definitely are ways [to help students who have financial problems to help those organizations be more diverse and increase the pool of students,” Prajapathi said.

Organizational conflicts

Organizations like FBLA, DECA, HOSA and NSDA are aware of the high costs of their competitions and provide limited support—like small scholarships or occasional fundraising assistance—but it still falls far short of covering the real expenses.

“They do a pretty good job of trying to find the best rates. We’ve got a package deal through this travel agency; we can buy airline tickets and get the cheapest rate. They’re trying [to help, but] the flip side is, these events are typically held in [places] like Anaheim, [Calif.] [or] Orlando, [Fla.]. We’re there for five days, so additional costs [add up]. I think it’s always feasible to help cover some of the costs or at least bring them down,” Croley said.

The goal of most students is to qualify for the national competitions, which require students to first advance through local and state competitions, finishing in the top placements to earn a coveted spot. However, financial burdens are built into the system as national competitions are scheduled in major cities, far from most students and schools. This past year, FBLA’s national event was held in Anaheim, Calif., while DECA’s was hosted in Orlando, Fla. Organizations are creating the costs, both directly and indirectly. Their competition structure makes inequality inevitable; they have the responsibility and capability to redesign their programs.

Some public schools are underfunded, leaving them without the resources to hire enough teachers or afford basic classroom supplies. In contrast, private schools can hire better and additional teachers, pouring money into resources at a higher level. Individual students with wealth can afford private coaches, attend prestigious programs and have access to the best technology. For schools without such wealth, the majority of any aid comes through independent fundraising events. For example, West High’s FBLA club hosts a yearly Waterway Carwash fundraiser by selling coupons. The funds raised then go into paying membership fees and local competition fees, but covering thousands of dollars for the national competition requires significant funding that the government cannot provide.

Finding solutions

There are a plethora of solutions to lower costs for students. At the very least, organizations could reduce the numerous participation fees students are required to pay, including both state and national membership fees and competition fees for districts, state and nationals. Many of these organizations work with hotels. For example, Hilton Hotels & Resorts sponsors DECA and Hyatt Hotels sponsors FBLA, but these sponsorships don’t function in the way students need them to. Partnerships only offer educational opportunities, such as internships and programs—they don’t offer deals to lower or eliminate overall hotel fees. Organizations could expand these pre-existing partnerships with hotels or even host large-scale events at college campuses and use their dorms to lower lodging fees. Meals could be provided by securing food sponsors. 

Aside from the pricey competitions themselves, organizations could create national fundraising initiatives so the burden doesn’t have to fall on individual schools. Business organizations like DECA and FBLA could even have students themselves pitch sponsorship and fundraising ideas. It fits in with the competition, where events like Hotel and Lodging already exist for DECA and Event Planning for FBLA. 

It isn’t unrealistic to demand that organizations offer equal and fair costs. In fact, there are already numerous organizations that do so. Missouri Boys and Girls State hosts over 1500 students each summer, who never have to pay. Instead, the American Legion and American Auxiliary Legion—the organizations behind these programs—find sponsors for each participant. While national organizations are bigger, they could establish similar sponsor and donor networks if they prioritized equal access. 

Finally, the burden falls on the alumni of these organizations who have benefited from participation and found success. NSDA, FBLA, DECA and HOSA all report that many of their alumni go on to become successful entrepreneurs, Academy Award winners, doctors and lawyers, yet do little to return the favor. NSDA claims to have a community of 10,000 alumni willing to donate money. However, this number is only 0.05% of the 2 million NSDA alumni across the nation who could be helping future generations of students.

“You would think [that alumni would donate], but that’s not the case. People are not giving back to the programs that gave them that entrepreneurial spirit. Many more of those folks are giving back their money to donations to colleges versus helping kids really learn skill sets,” Croley said. 

The value of organizations like NSDA, FBLA, DECA and HOSA is undeniable. They cultivate curiosity, confidence and an opportunity to explore career paths through real-world experiences. However, that value can’t be fully realized until every student, regardless of wealth, can access it. Ensuring true equal opportunity requires a commitment from the national organizations. Creating a more equitable system isn’t just about lowering costs; it’s about protecting the hopes, dreams and aspirations of every student across the country.

“You want people to love and be passionate about these programs, because it really does make a connection with what you’re learning. To the next level, they open doors for the system scholarships and things in the future, and [help students] see that that’s what [they] really aspire to do for the next step in life,” Croley said.