How much does a school assembly speaker cost?
For the 2026–27 school year, one of my assemblies is $1,000 for schools within a few hours of Boise, starts at $1,800 in California and the western states, and runs $4,000 to $5,000 for schools I fly to, with travel included. Every speaker prices differently, so ask what’s included before you compare. There’s no deposit, and I invoice after the assembly.
My rates for the 2026–27 school year
A lot of speakers don’t publish their fees. Here are mine, travel included unless a note below says otherwise.
| Where your school is | One assembly | All three talks | Another school, same trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho, within a few hours of Boise | $1,000 | $2,500 | Ask for the district rate |
| California | $1,800 | $3,300 | $1,000 |
| Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Arizona | From $1,800 | $3,300 | $1,000 |
| The Midwest | $4,000 | Ask | $2,000 |
| The South | $4,000 | Ask | $2,000 |
| The East Coast | $4,500 | Ask | $2,000 |
| Alaska, on the road system | $4,500 | Ask | $2,000 |
| Hawaii | $5,000 | Ask | $2,000 |
- Idaho schools more than 300 miles from Boise, mostly North Idaho, add $500 for travel.
- In the western states, drive-in schools more than 300 miles from Boise add $500 for travel. When I fly, the school covers airfare at cost instead, plus a hotel night only if a same-day round trip doesn’t work.
- Hawaii includes the inter-island hop if you’re on a neighbor island. In Alaska, a school off the road system covers the last flight at cost.
- The second-school price adds no travel. Booking several schools in one district? Ask for the district rate.
Rate lock. Every rate on this page is for 2026–27, and they’ll go up for 2027–28. Book a 2027–28 date by May 31, 2027, with a signed booking agreement, and you keep this year’s rate. In Idaho, that’s a month before districts file their federal plans for the year, so the number can go straight into yours.
What’s included in every booking?
- A planning call with you and your counseling team
- A talk built to fit your assembly block
- Student Q&A, then time afterward for students to come up and talk
- Classroom follow-up your teachers can use the next morning: discussion questions and journal prompts
- The principal approval packet and a sample agreement
What changes what a speaker costs?
Travel. Flights, a rental car and a hotel can add more than you’d guess. Ask whether a quote includes travel or adds it on top.
How many talks. A second session, a second school or a series usually costs less per talk than one assembly on its own.
Who you book through. Booking through a speaker bureau usually builds the bureau’s commission into the fee. I book directly.
The speaker. Experience, demand and how far ahead their calendar fills.
How do schools bring the cost down?
- Share the trip. Call a school nearby. The second school pays the lower price above, and neither adds travel.
- Book all three talks. Around Boise, three talks are $2,500 instead of $3,000 booked one at a time.
- Split it. The PTO covers part and the building budget covers the rest. The PTO page has a board pitch, letters and fundraisers.
- Ask about the money you already have. Title IV-A, Title I in schoolwide schools, and state money in some states. It’s all on the funding page.
What should you ask any speaker about price?
The full list, with safety and content questions too, is in questions to ask a speaker before you book.
Does the fee include travel?
Mine does in most places. The exceptions: Idaho schools more than 300 miles from Boise add $500, drive-in schools in the western states more than 300 miles out add $500 (or cover airfare at cost when I fly instead), and Alaska schools off the road system cover that last flight at cost.
Is there a deposit?
No. I invoice after the assembly. Payment is due in 30 days, by check, ACH or purchase order.
What if school is canceled that day?
A snow day, lockdown or emergency just moves the date. No fee. The rest of the cancellation terms are in the sample agreement.
What happens before and after the talk?
A planning call with your counseling team before, Q&A at the end, and classroom follow-up for the next morning. Ask any speaker you’re comparing what they include.
Quick answers
Is it cheaper if two schools book the same trip?
Yes. In California and the western states, a second school on the same trip pays $1,000 for one assembly. Where I fly in (the Midwest, the East Coast, the South, Hawaii and Alaska), each additional school pays $2,000. Neither adds travel.
Will your rates go up?
Yes, for 2027–28. Book a 2027–28 date by May 31, 2027, with a signed booking agreement, and you keep this year’s rate.
Can a grant or the PTO pay for it?
Often, yes. The building budget and the PTO are the fastest. Title IV-A and, in schoolwide schools, Title I can fit when the district plans for it. Every option is on the funding page.
I’m a speaker, so I have a stake in this, and these are my prices. They’re for the 2026–27 school year and go up for the next one, except for dates locked in by May 31, 2027. Your quote is what I send you in writing.