So we are going back and forth on how much money to give DD for school spending money. She will have the option to go shopping on weekends, but I think the school store stuff can go on her account - which we have told her to be mindful of. Since we live in Canada, there is exchange to consider as well - but we were thinking of just sending her the child tax money every month. What is the going rate these days? When I was in school (20+ years ago) I got 20 a week from my parents, and that was totally sufficient, but I know things cost more these days. She won’t have to pay her own cell phone, we will be doing that from here.
Our son often did less than $20/week. There isn’t much to spend money on. Most of it goes into their stomachs. Technically, they can get by with $0, so it’s up to you what you want to budget.
Your parents were very generous 20 years ago. 
IMO, $75-100 per month is sufficient. Enough to order out or go to the movies with friends occasionally and other little splurges. Of course, many students had more and some get less. I was more concerned with teaching my kids to learn to budget than keeping up with the Joneses. For mine, any none essential school store purchases (snacks) came out of that budget.
It’s definitely a personal decision and I’m sure answers are all over the map. It wasn’t unusual to encounter fellow students who had total carte blanche.
I know for me I get a monthly allowance of $50 for spending money on “fun” things (going to the movies, shopping for fun things, food,etc) and then I get things that I will need for the ongoing year (shampoo, conditioner, etc.) with the help of my parents, separate from the allowance I get per month.
I looked at the Choate handbook and they said $900 for the whole year, so that would be about $25 a week.
I guess it really depends on the kid/school (if it’s near/in a town, etc.) but we’ve been in the $20-$25 range for our kids.
I think another think to consider is the budget just “fun” money or would the student be purchasing toiletries and other necessities with the allowance?
We are planning this to be for everything she needs. So toiletries and fun.
@makp715: I have sort of broken kid’s expenses into two groups: essentials and discretionary.
For the essentials, I’ve just paid for directly or transferred money into their account for…TBH, I don’t want my kid to have to choose between a movie with friends or deodorant. 
That said, we have lived close enough to all of our kids schools that this works for us.
Just wanted to thank you for asking this question! We are in the early stages of research, but not a wealthy household, so I feel relieved reading the responses.
I think it takes about 3-4 days to transfer money from a Canadian account to a US account, so we want to be sure she has what she needs. However, it is going to be really tight financially, so I can’t give her carte blanche, she is going to have to learn to budget - I just want to be reasonable.
@makp715/Anthor: I’d start with the $100/month (or whatever you can afford, really) and see how it goes. As with clothing topic, I am in the “start with less and ramp up if needed” camp. Every kid/every school is going to be different, but the $20-$25/week is as good a guideline as any. Best of luck to your kids (and you) as you all begin new adventures.
@makp715 Just had a thought: can you load Amazon (or similar retailer) egift cards to an account for her with her school address in the US? Might be faster than a bank transfer? Not a plug for Amazon, but I use it now to send my son things he runs out of while at summer camp. Subscribe and Save for regular delivery of things like deoderant might be worth it too.
My daughter got $30 per week for her freshman and sophomore years. Last year we increased it to $35 per week
My kids needed very little money at BS. During V ( K2 ) and VI ( K1 ) Form they worked during the summer ( the first time either of them worked and earned a paycheck ) and as an incentive, I offered to match whatever they earned for a college war chest ( off campus housing, etc ), summer travel with friends, gas, or whatever else I didn’t feel was a parental obligation .
That ended abruptly when they started raking it in big by coaching and giving private lessons. Not one of my better ideas… I was thinking snack bar wages from 1975! Okay- I take that back - I wasn’t thinking. Occasionally, they’ll kid around and chant: Matching Funds, Matching Funds, Matching Funds…
LOL. No way. I kept my end of the bargain but never again! I think one of them opened a brokerage account.
As a current student, I can attest that may of my peers and classmates spend between $20 to $40 a week.
However, some of my most disappointing moments have come when either I or a friend can’t go out to eat during the weekend because of a lack of spending money. Some of my most favorite memories at boarding school have come from restaurant, café, or coffee shop conversations.
Obviously, this issue can be easily mitigated by proper budgeting. Sometimes, certain items can be more expensive in city-based schools than schools in rural areas (and vice versa). It’ll help to get a good gauge on local prices as well as a good idea of your student’s spending habits.
We automatically deposit $40 per month to her checking account that she has quite a sum by saving most of her spending money as well as gifts from relatives, for snacks etc. Responsible spending has never been a issue since she started receiving spending money at 6. She is also an authorized user for my credit card for emergency and extra expense that I agree to pay over text message. She charges all her essential - basic clothing and toiletry to my Amazon account.
It’s funny, because my sister and I just had this discussion–one she brought up & I admit I never thought about. DS has hundreds of $$ he’s gotten for birthdays, etc that sits in his wallet at home. So, I’ve decided that we will pay for all necessities and also send care packages (what mom doesn’t want to send her kid care packages?) and then he can use “his” money for frivolity. I’m hoping this may make him more discretionary about his purchases and learn money management. When it’s coming from your own pocket, you tend to be more careful with it.
My son accidentally voiced out loud that he doesn’t order soda at the movies with friends (long established as his responsibility with his money) but orders soda when he is out with us because “it’s free.” At that moment, I decided that all spending money beyond necessities and holiday/bday gifts would come from his own money.
Mine gets $125 a month for everything. That money is for all necessities and for fun so she has to budget it accordingly.