A survey sent out to the students of Eleanor Roosevelt High School near the end of March revealed that out of 263 respondents, over half (142 students) are planning to go to this year’s prom. Most of their prom funds will be directed towards the purchase of clothing, with 9.4% spending over $500 and 32.3% spending between $100 and $300 on that single category. Transportation comes in second, followed by grooming, and then a miscellaneous section for items not listed within the questionnaire. The cumulative cost of prom for students, along with the $85 price tag of the prom ticket alone, occasions a relatively hefty bill. So why are students willing, or at least planning, to spend so much for prom?

Senior Phillip Blocker paid $170 for prom tickets for his date and himself – the former whom he claims is the reason he had even spent money for the event. “Plus like two to four-hundred for the tux and fifty dollars for [my date’s] limo,” he said. He seemed to be overwhelmed as he reported his expenditures, but later says that he thinks “it’s low for the cost of prom. I think people spend a lot more money than me.”

Nya Perry, who deliberated for some time before arriving at $300 as the total amount she spent on her senior prom, has similar sentiments to Blocker. “I think it’s pretty average for prom, but it’s pretty expensive.” However, she defended her spending. “I think everyone should go to prom…it’s the last chance to be all together, have a good night.”

Hannah Thomas (or rather, her parents, as she later mentions) dished out “about five-hundred dollars,” which she thinks, for the relative cost of prom, is “about average.” But unlike the other two attendees, she “honestly doesn’t think it’s worth it. But when all your friends are going and everyone’s going, it’s kind of…it’s a fun night to dress up and go.”

Perhaps the most enthusiastic of the four interviewees for the night of May 19^th, Jazmyne Mitchell said she spent $400; which she thinks is a lot of money, but not in the context of prom. “It’s high school experience that you want to have. You want to be with your friends. You want to ride in a limo? Like, I want to ride in a limo. I think it would be fun hanging out with my friends, in a limo…Limos are a rare occasion!” Another thing Mitchell believes is a rare occasion is the prom night itself. “You want to look nice, you want to feel nice, you want to feel beautiful, on your one senior prom ‘cuz you don’t get any other [senior] proms.”