Sports and activities will be free for Caldwell students next school year. 

The Caldwell school board unanimously voted Monday to eliminate “pay-to-play” fees for non-district students. That means charter school students along with home-schoolers and private schoolers won’t be charged to play on district sports teams or participate in activities like band or orchestra. 

Trustees had previously eliminated fees for district students, according to district spokeswoman Jessica Watts. 

Caldwell has had a pay-to-play policy since 2018 but started enforcing it last year, after voters rejected a supplemental levy. Voters approved a followup levy request in November. 

Monday’s decision paused the district’s fee requirement for 2025-26, but didn’t eliminate the policy. 

Trustees in recent weeks had considered cutting in half most fees for non-district students, but ultimately decided to eliminate them altogether. The rates ranged from $190 and $460, depending on the sport. District students previously paid $100. 

Marisela Pesina, vice chair of the school board, said students who love sports are encouraged to attend school, because eligibility depends on maintaining a minimum grade-point average. And the number of non-district athletes in Caldwell “is not a lot,” she said.

Last school year, 16 non-district students played on Caldwell middle school and high school teams. That’s compared to about 300 district students. 

Caldwell last year spent $454,643 on sports, including for the athletic director’s salary. Charging non-district students would only recoup about $4,600, trustee Andrew Butler said. 

“It’s tough to justify that,” he said. Charging fees would “cause more disruption than anything at this point.”

Butler said the district could reconsider pay-to-play fees if the number of non-district students increases.