What It Is and What It Actually Costs
If you googled "Starter School" before landing here, you probably saw a
$30,000 price tag and thought, "Yeah, not for me."
I don't blame you.
But here's the thing: that's not us
Let me clear this up once and for all
In 2022, I bought the domain StarterSchool.com.
It had been used before. By a completely different company. Different founders. Different model. Different everything.
And yes, they charged around $30,000.
Their old posts are still live. They still rank on Google. And they still make parents think we're something we're not.
We have zero connection to that company.
None. Not a single thread.
But Google doesn't know that. Reddit doesn't know that. And until you landed here, you didn't know that either.
So this page exists to set the record straight.
It started as a favor.
During lockdown of 2020, I mentored a family friend's kid. 16 years old. I gave him assignments based on real work from my business — minus the stress, the deadlines, the demanding clients.
It wasn't a program. It wasn't even a business. Just me trying to help a kid learn something useful.
Two years later, I decided to turn it into something real.
First name: Leapfrog.club.
Hated it immediately.
But I just needed something so I went with that for a few months.
Then in the spring of 2022, I took a trip to Japan and came back inspired with their work ethic and passion & care about their work.
After returning to the U.S. (Austin, TX), I was back jet-lagged.
It was 3 a.m., and I couldn't sleep.
I found myself staring at domain registrars thinking, "argh.. I really don't like the name Leapfrog for a company."
It made me think of younger market, and it didn't describe the teens I was mentoring.
Then somehow I landed on the name Starter School.
An organization that helps teenagers get started creating value in the world.
I looked for StarterSchool.com in the domain registrar and it was available!!
But bad news, it costs $5,800 + tax.
I'd never spent more than $1200 on a domain. And I'd bought over 100 of them.
Most just sat there, unused, collecting digital dust.
But this one felt different.
I knew if I spent $5,800, I'd have to commit. At least 10 years. Maybe more.
So at 3 a.m., half-asleep and completely irrational, I bought it.
I fully committed on this journey of helping teenagers bridge the experience gap between them and the adults in the workforce.
That $5,800 was my engagement ring to this business.
I'm all in on helping teenager learn new and powerful technologies and become leaders.
That's when Starter School — this Starter School — officially began.
We teach teenagers by giving them real work to do.
Not fake projects. Not busywork. Real assignments based on what actual professionals do in actual companies.
Here's how it works:
We talk to company executives. Designers. Marketers. Developers. People doing real work in real industries.
We ask them what they actually do. What tools they use. What projects matter.
Then we turn that into assignments teenagers can complete — without the pressure of real clients breathing down their necks.
Students learn tools like: Figma, Zapier, Notion, Trello, Slack, ChatGPT, Canva, CapCut.
They explore industries like: Real estate, stocks, app design, e-commerce, content creation, cybersecurity, game design, music production, entrepreneurship.
They build portfolios. They learn by doing. They figure out what they're actually good at.
No lectures. No exams. No grades. No fluff.
Just work that matters.
Let's be clear about what this isn't:
We're not a college replacement. College has its place. This isn't it.
We're not a job placement service. We don't guarantee jobs. We give kids skills that make them hirable.
We're not corporate training. We're not turning teenagers into cogs. We're teaching them to think.
And we're definitely not a $30,000 tech bootcamp.
If someone told you we cost $30,000, they're confused. Or lying. Or both.
Some of our products start at $29.
Our most involved programs go into the low thousands.
Nothing — and I mean nothing — is anywhere near $30,000.
If you see that number anywhere, it's from the old company. Not us.
We price for real families. Not just the ones who can drop five figures on their kid's extracurriculars.
Because confusion kills trust.
You search for something. You see conflicting information. Old posts. Big numbers. And you don't know what's real.
So you hesitate. Or worse, you leave.
I don't want that to happen here.
So here's the truth:
Starter School is a modern, project-based program for teenagers. Founded in 2022. Priced for everyday families. Built on one simple belief: teenagers learn best by doing real work, not memorizing things for tests.
Hope to work with you and your family soon,
Diveej Shrestha
Founder @ Starter School