Making Change Worksheets for High School in Grade 2

Advanced worksheets on making change designed for high school students: counting money, calculating change, coin combinations, and word problems with detailed solutions.

High School Level Making Change - Part A
Advanced Problem Set

Challenging problems designed for high school students reviewing basic money concepts.

1 Advanced Change
High School Problem 1
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

1. You buy a coffee that costs $4.75 and a muffin for $2.95. You give the cashier $20.00. How much change should you get back? Express your answer in dollars and cents, and show the most efficient coin combination for the change.

Show your work:
Cost of coffee: _________
Cost of muffin: _________
Total cost: ___________
Amount given: _________
Calculation: ___________
Answer: _____________
Solution:

Cost of coffee: $4.75

Cost of muffin: $2.95

Total cost: $4.75 + $2.95 = $7.70

Amount given: $20.00

Calculation: $20.00 - $7.70 = $12.30

Answer: You should get back $12.30 in change. Most efficient: 12 dollar bills + 1 quarter + 1 nickel.

Key Concept:

Advanced Change: Making change with multiple items and larger amounts

Rule:

Change = Amount Paid - Total Cost of Items

2 Multiple Items with Tax
High School Problem 2
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

2. You buy a textbook for $24.95 and a calculator for $18.75. Sales tax is 8%. You give the cashier $50.00. How much change should you get back?

Show your work:
Cost of textbook: _________
Cost of calculator: _________
Subtotal: ___________
Sales tax: ___________
Total cost: ___________
Amount given: _________
Answer: _____________
Solution:

Cost of textbook: $24.95

Cost of calculator: $18.75

Subtotal: $24.95 + $18.75 = $43.70

Sales tax: $43.70 × 0.08 = $3.50

Total cost: $43.70 + $3.50 = $47.20

Amount given: $50.00

Answer: $50.00 - $47.20 = $2.80 in change

Key Concept:

Total Cost with Tax: Sum of all items plus calculated sales tax

Rules:

• Add up all item costs to find subtotal

• Calculate tax as percentage of subtotal

• Add tax to subtotal to get total cost

• Then subtract total from amount given

3 Advanced Coin Combinations
High School Problem 3
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

3. Show five different ways to make $4.67 using dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Include at least one way that uses only bills and coins under $1.00.

Way 1: _________ dollar bills, _________ quarters, _________ dimes, _________ nickels, _________ pennies
Way 2: _________ dollar bills, _________ quarters, _________ dimes, _________ nickels, _________ pennies
Way 3: _________ dollar bills, _________ quarters, _________ dimes, _________ nickels, _________ pennies
Way 4: _________ dollar bills, _________ quarters, _________ dimes, _________ nickels, _________ pennies
Way 5: _________ dollar bills, _________ quarters, _________ dimes, _________ nickels, _________ pennies

Bonus: Which way uses the fewest coins?
Solution:

Way 1: 4 dollar bills, 2 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, 2 pennies ($4.00 + $0.50 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.02 = $4.67)

Way 2: 3 dollar bills, 6 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, 2 pennies ($3.00 + $1.50 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.02 = $4.67)

Way 3: 2 dollar bills, 10 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, 2 pennies ($2.00 + $2.50 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.02 = $4.67)

Way 4: 1 dollar bill, 14 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, 2 pennies ($1.00 + $3.50 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.02 = $4.67)

Way 5: 0 dollar bills, 18 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, 2 pennies ($0.00 + $4.50 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.02 = $4.67)

Bonus: Way 1 uses the fewest coins (9 total: 4 dollar bills + 2 quarters + 1 dime + 1 nickel + 2 pennies)

Key Concept:

Advanced Coin Combinations: Different sets of bills and coins that add up to the same amount

Rule:

Same amount can be made with different bill and coin combinations

High School Level Making Change - Part B
4 Multi-Step Word Problems
High School Problem 4
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

4. Sarah starts with $100.00. She buys a backpack for $35.75, lunch for $12.45, and spends $8.30 on snacks. Then she receives $25.00 as a gift. How much money does she have now?

Show your work:
Starting money: _________
Backpack cost: _________
Lunch cost: _________
Snacks cost: _________
Total spent: ___________
Money after spending: ___________
Gift received: ___________
Final amount: ___________
Solution:

Starting money: $100.00

Backpack cost: $35.75

Lunch cost: $12.45

Snacks cost: $8.30

Total spent: $35.75 + $12.45 + $8.30 = $56.50

Money after spending: $100.00 - $56.50 = $43.50

Gift received: $25.00

Final amount: $43.50 + $25.00 = $68.50

Answer: Sarah has $68.50 now.

Key Concept:

Multi-Step Problems: Problems that require multiple calculations to solve

Rule:

Solve step by step, keeping track of each calculation

5 Advanced Mixed Currency
High School Problem 5
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

5. Tom has 15 quarters, 12 dimes, 18 nickels, and 37 pennies. He wants to buy a video game that costs $8.95. Does he have enough money? If yes, how much change will he get? If not, how much more does he need?

Show your work:
Quarters value: _________
Dimes value: _________
Nickels value: _________
Pennies value: _________
Total money: ___________
Cost of game: _________
Answer: _____________
Solution:

Quarters value: 15 × $0.25 = $3.75

Dimes value: 12 × $0.10 = $1.20

Nickels value: 18 × $0.05 = $0.90

Pennies value: 37 × $0.01 = $0.37

Total money: $3.75 + $1.20 + $0.90 + $0.37 = $6.22

Cost of game: $8.95

Answer: No, he does not have enough money. He needs $8.95 - $6.22 = $2.73 more.

Key Concept:

Advanced Currency Conversion: Calculate total value of multiple coin types

Rule:

Calculate value of each coin type separately, then add together

High School Level Making Change - Part C
6 Complex Efficient Change
High School Problem 6
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

6. A customer pays $50.00 for items that cost $32.87. What is the most efficient way to give the change using the fewest coins possible? Include dollar bills and coins. Consider that the cashier wants to minimize the total number of bills and coins given as change.

Show your work:
Calculation: ___________
Most efficient way: ___________
Total bills and coins: ___________
Answer: _____________
Solution:

Calculation: $50.00 - $32.87 = $17.13

Most efficient way: 17 dollar bills + 1 dime + 1 nickel + 3 pennies = $17.00 + $0.10 + $0.05 + $0.03 = $17.13

Total bills and coins: 22 (17 dollar bills + 1 dime + 1 nickel + 3 pennies)

Answer: The most efficient way is 17 dollar bills + 1 dime + 1 nickel + 3 pennies (22 total bills and coins).

Key Concept:

Complex Efficiency: Using the fewest bills and coins possible to make change

Rule:

Always start with the largest denomination first

7 Advanced Multiple Scenarios
High School Problem 7
Name: ________________ Date: ___________

7. Scenario A: Buy a pen for $2.95 with $5.00. Scenario B: Buy a notebook for $4.75 with $10.00. Scenario C: Buy a calculator for $12.80 with $20.00. Scenario D: Buy a book for $8.35 with $15.00. Which scenario gives the most change? Which gives the least? What is the average change across all scenarios?

Show your work:
Scenario A calculation: ___________
Scenario B calculation: ___________
Scenario C calculation: ___________
Scenario D calculation: ___________
Average change: ___________
Answer: _____________
Solution:

Scenario A: $5.00 - $2.95 = $2.05

Scenario B: $10.00 - $4.75 = $5.25

Scenario C: $20.00 - $12.80 = $7.20

Scenario D: $15.00 - $8.35 = $6.65

Comparison: Scenario C gives the most change ($7.20), Scenario A gives the least ($2.05)

Average change: ($2.05 + $5.25 + $7.20 + $6.65) ÷ 4 = $21.15 ÷ 4 = $5.29

Answer: Scenario C gives the most change ($7.20), Scenario A gives the least ($2.05), and the average is $5.29.

Key Concept:

Advanced Comparison: Calculating and comparing different change amounts

Rule:

Calculate each scenario separately, then compare the results

Making Change for High School: Complete Summary

This comprehensive guide covers advanced making change concepts suitable for high school students reviewing 2nd grade math concepts.

Advanced Coin Values

• Penny = 1 cent = $0.01

• Nickel = 5 cents = $0.05

• Dime = 10 cents = $0.10

• Quarter = 25 cents = $0.25

• 100 cents = $1.00

• $1.00 = 100¢

Advanced Formulas

• Change = Amount Paid - Cost

• Total Cost = Sum of all item prices + Tax

• Total Money = Sum of all coin values

• $1.00 = 100¢

• Remaining Money = Starting Money - Total Spent + Additional Income

Advanced Problem Steps

1. Read the problem carefully

2. Identify what you know

3. Determine what you need to find

4. Plan your calculation steps

5. Solve the problem step by step

6. Check your answer

Advanced Challenges

• Working with tax calculations

• Multi-step problems

• Large amounts of money

• Many different coin types

• Complex decimal operations

Making Change Strategies:
  1. Line Up Decimals: When subtracting money, align decimal points
  2. Count Up Method: Start at the cost and count up to the amount paid
  3. Subtraction Method: Amount paid minus cost equals change
  4. Use Largest Bills First: Always start with the biggest denominations
  5. Check Your Work: Add change back to cost to verify
  6. Step-by-Step: Break complex problems into smaller parts
Tip 1: Practice with larger amounts of money to build confidence.
Tip 2: Use real coins and bills to practice making different amounts.
Tip 3: Draw circles with coin values to represent physical coins.
Tip 4: Always verify your change calculation by adding it back.
Real-world connection: Advanced making change skills apply to shopping, banking, and budgeting.
Mathematical foundation: Builds number sense and arithmetic skills for higher grades.
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Money Fun Fact

Questions & Answers

Question: I'm confused about making change with tax. When I buy something that costs $2.50 and tax is $0.30, how do I calculate the total?

Answer: Great question! Adding tax is simple:

  • Item cost: $2.50
  • Tax: $0.30
  • Total cost: $2.50 + $0.30 = $2.80

Then you calculate change from the total cost. For example, if you pay with $5.00, your change would be $5.00 - $2.80 = $2.20.

Always add tax to the item cost to get the total amount you need to pay.

Question: My child is in high school but struggling with basic math concepts like making change. How can I help them practice?

Answer: Here are effective strategies for high school students:

  • Start Simple: Begin with basic problems and gradually increase complexity
  • Real-World Scenarios: Use actual receipts or online shopping examples
  • Practice Regularly: Consistent practice with small amounts
  • Visual Aids: Draw out problems or use manipulatives
  • Patience: Allow time to rebuild foundational skills

Focus on accuracy first, then speed. The key is building confidence with the process.

Question: What's the best method for teaching high school students to make change with complex decimal amounts?

Answer: For complex decimal amounts, I recommend these approaches:

  • Align Decimals: Write amounts vertically with decimal points lined up
  • Counting Up Method: Start at the cost and count up to the amount paid
  • Break It Down: Separate dollars and cents: $5.00 - $2.47 = ($5.00 - $2.00) - $0.47 = $3.00 - $0.47 = $2.53
  • Estimation First: Round amounts to estimate the answer before calculating

The counting up method is often most intuitive for students: $2.47 → $2.50 (3¢) → $3.00 (50¢ more) → $5.00 ($2.00 more) = 3¢ + 50¢ + $2.00 = $2.53