Though many people consider prom to be a classic high school experience, few are enthusiastic about paying the large amount of money required to get through the door. With this year’s prices ranging from $35 to $75, students  are wondering why it costs so much and where the money is spent.

When asked how much money people thought it would take to rent the location of this year’s prom, the Oasis, most responded between $5,000 and $6,000. In actuality, the space costs nearly $20,000 for a single night. That’s not including Hors D’oeuvres, linens, DJ, lights or any other possible expenses. According to junior class sponsor Ms. Vicky Tarver, prom typically costs anywhere between $30,000 and $35,000.

In an attempt to lower the price of tickets as much as possible, the junior class hosts a fundraiser (this year’s theme was Just Chillin’.) If the fundraiser doesn’t raise a substantial amount of money, the ticket prices could skyrocket. According to an inside source, the fundraiser this year was fairly successful, though the exact amount of money earned was not available. Estimating the earnings at roughly $15,000, that means the tickets would have to cover about half of the total cost.

After doing some basic math, the total amount earned (based on the prices of tickets this year) would leave money left over even after prom was completely paid for. So where does this ‘profit’ go? The junior class keeps the cash and uses it to buy their senior gift that they will give at the end of the following year. Any money not used for buying the gift will be given to the incoming senior class so that they can plan their own fundraiser when they become juniors.

If everyone in the combined senior classes went to prom, tickets would only cost $10  a person to break even. Unfortunately, when planning an event as big as prom, you need to account for all the people who won’t be in attendance.

So to answer the big question, prom tickets are expensive because throwing a prom is expensive. The only way to pay for such a grand event is to charge high prices. If you want tickets to be cheaper, keep an eye out for next year’s fundraiser.