Final answer:
Tutors can indeed be inexpensive or free through various schools or community programs, despite the fact that private tutoring often comes with significant costs. Free public education from K-12 ensures equal access regardless of financial status, contrasting with the inaccessibility of private schooling and tutoring for some families.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that tutors can be inexpensive, or possibly free, is true. While many tutoring services do charge fees, there are also numerous resources available for students that provide free or low-cost tutoring. In some cases, schools and community organizations offer tutoring programs at no cost to students. Furthermore, with the rise of online platforms, there are a variety of options for those seeking educational assistance. For example, a tutoring school might have a payment structure requiring a one-time enrollment fee and yearly tuition. The expense of this can be expressed like this: For a tutoring school with a one-time enrollment fee of $500, plus tuition of $3000 per year, the cost equation would be C = 500 + 3000n, where C is the total cost and n is the number of years enrolled.
However, not all educational resources are equally accessible, leading to disparities in educational opportunities. The cost of SAT/ACT-prep courses and private tutors can be prohibitive for some families, which extends the inequality found in K-12 education to college preparations. Conversely, public schools in the United States provide free education from kindergarten through twelfth grade, ensuring that all children have access to schooling regardless of their family's financial situation. This is contrasted with private schools, which charge tuition and are therefore not accessible to everyone.