Some student drivers returning to high school this fall are finding an increase in the cost of parking their cars in the school's lot.

As schools struggle for operating budgets to pay for necessities, some are turning to charging students for parking stickers. The stickers help keep the number of cars to a manageable level, but they also act as a source of needed income for some of the schools.

We called around and found out the cost of parking student cars at all of the SouthCoast's high schools.

THE BARGAINS

A good number of SouthCoast high schools allowed the students to park on school property at no charge. Some of them request that the students register their car at the office. Some provided parking stickers, but at no charge to the students. These schools are:

• Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech
• Fairhaven High School
• Durfee High School
• New Bedford High School
• Diman Regional Voc-Tech
• Bishop Stang High School
• Middleboro High School
• Seekonk High School

THE MID-LEVEL

• Westport High School charges $15
• Wareham High School charges $25
• Old Colony Regional Voc Tech charges $30

THE CADILLACS

Here are the most expensive schools on the SouthCoast to park your car as a student:

• Somerset Berkley Regional High School comes in at $50 per year.
• Old Rochester Regional High School ties them with $50 per year.
• Apponequet Regional High School just edges out ORR and SB with a $52 price tag.
• No school on the SouthCoast was as expensive as these two schools: Dighton-Rehoboth High School and Dartmouth High School rang in at $60 a year for a parking sticker.

What is your opinion about students having to pay for parking? Take our poll.