Is this a good deal for my son? B&H has the Nikon Z5 Mirrorless Camera with 24-200mm Lens on sale for $2000.00?
He is taking photography in school next year. Got to get him a camera and I know cameras are usually buy once cry once  my 35mm camera I used in high school  ( cannon AE-1)used film so kind of out of touch on this one.  I haven’t shot anything seriously since 1992… so is the Z5 too much for him to learn on or will it grow with him???

That is too much camera. Get him a  Canon R7 or a Nikon of the same caliber and save a shit pot of money.

Get a Nikon D7500 you can probably find one factory refurbished.

this or a used D750.    Facebook Marketplace is full of used stuff.

On one hand, that is a crapton of camera.  On the other, if he has a serious interest in photography it might be worth it.

Personally, I'd lean toward a refurb D7200 or D7500, both of which are exceptional cameras and fall under the 'prosumer' level where you get decent weather sealing, physical controls, and a built in motor for using old AF-D lenses.  You can pretty much plug and play any Nikon F mount lens from (at minimum) the mid 80's straight onto the camera.  Let alone that high quality lenses are less expensive than full frame ones.  BUT you can buy and use full frame lenses on them and be setup if/when kiddo decides he wants a full frame camera.  Quality glass doesn't go bad after all, and a lot of people are selling F mount lenses to switch to Z mount mirrorless.  There are some deals to be had, and some amazing lenses that flat out won't be made in Z mount.

If you can afford it, and it gets used to its potential it’s worth it.

But it’s also an easy target to get stolen in your bag sitting at a table, car at lunch, locker etc. so protecting it’s from damage and theft is going to be very important. It’s important with every camera but even more so with top tier gear.

Gatorshooter2: Here is my 5¢(used to be 2¢, but due to inflation). I would get your son a used but useable low-end Nikon or Canon with a 18-135 lens. Since I am Nikon-guy, I would recommend a used 3000-series. The reason is that if something happens to it, ie stolen, dropped etc; you won't out bunches of money, and it will be more than adequate for 99.99% of his school needs.

As your son gets more proficient in his camera-handling skills you may want to upgrade. It should be probably be good for the first couple of years, depending on his interest level. If he decides that he wants to be in band or something you will only be out a minimum amount of money. One thing for sure, you don't want to overwhelm a novice photog, many of the more advanced cameras have more functions and too many button, knobs, & switches.