Summer school is normally not a big budget item.

But the high number of students in the program this year – the first one ever in Bedford – is drawing some attention to its costs. The enrollment, which is greater than average for a summer school, will have an unknown effect on the budget, leaving the district with either a small profit or a deficit at the end of the summer.

The school district budgeted $12,385 for summer school, according to Mark Conrad, the chief financial officer. The district has already received more than $19,000 in revenue for the July session due to a large influx of students who had an overall passing grade in a class but failed one of the core competencies, the essential skills and knowledge in a course which students must master in order to earn any credit.

The district, however, will not know what its expenditures will be since this is the first time it has ever had a summer school. The full cost of the program will be clear only at the end of the summer, after a second August session reserved for students who need to work on their competencies, Conrad said.

Summer school is not meant to be a money-maker for the district.

“At best, you would break even,” Conrad said. “They’re not intended to turn a profit.” Students who outright failed a class have to pay $150 per summer course at Bedford High School, according to Lisa Ransom, the dean of students. The school charges $250, however, for the combined English and social studies classes, where students earn a double credit.

Students working on their competencies pay half those rates, since the school expects that they will be spending less time in class.

“It’s half the time, half the price,” Ransom said.

The prices for the August competency session will be half off, too – $75 for a regular math or science class and $125 for the combined humanities course.

The August session will run for two weeks in the evening so that it does not affect sports or other activities during the day. The session will run Aug. 11 through 21, Monday through Thursday both weeks, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Ransom said the school is sending out a mailing to all parents in the school district, advertising the August summer school program for competencies.

The rates are somewhat higher than some of the other high schools in the area. Londonderry High School charges $125 per course. Goffstown has two rates: $100 for students from the district and $125 for those who have transferred from another district for summer school.

Campbell High School in Litchfield is the only secondary school other than Bedford that has adopted the competency system. Officials there do not discount for competencies. Instead, students must all pay the same $150 rate, according to Erin Brown, a coordinator for the program.

The school district does not have a fund dedicated to summer school. That means any surpluses would go into the general fund to make up deficits in other areas. A reverse process, on the other hand, would make up any shortfalls for summer school. The outcome could have an effect on per-class prices for the future.

“As we look at the revenue and expenditures that would certainly be a discussion we have as part of the budget process,” Conrad said.