Nearly all public schools in the U.S. are providing digital devices to students. In fact, 88% of public schools have 1:1 computing programs, which is heavily dominated by Chromebooks for students due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of management.
While most academic institutions have a mix of Chromebooks and laptops, pricing is one of the biggest reasons why so many student Chromebooks are in service. Bulk buys for standard student Chromebooks typically cost $200 to $400 per unit, while Chromebook Plus models with Gemini AI range from $349 to $699.
Traditional laptops, however, remain important for programs that need installed applications, higher processing power, local storage, or Windows-based software.
A lower-cost student Chromebook may make sense for large-scale deployment, but schools still need to factor in budgets for cases, warranties, management licenses, charging carts, replacement chargers, repairs, and end-of-life planning.
A traditional laptop may cost more upfront but may be necessary for courses that cannot run fully in a browser.
A student Chromebook is a laptop-style device that runs ChromeOS and is commonly used for browser-based instruction, Google Workspace, learning management systems, online assessments, digital assignments, and classroom collaboration.
Chromebooks are often selected because they are affordable, quick to deploy, easy to manage centrally, and well suited for cloud-first learning environments. They are especially common in classrooms where students primarily need internet access, productivity tools, and web-based assessments.
Standardizing on Chromebooks for students can also simplify device management. Centralized administration allows IT teams to manage settings, updates, applications, user access, and security policies across large fleets.
A student laptop is a portable computer that typically runs Windows or another full operating system and supports a wider range of installed applications, local software, peripherals, and higher-performance tasks.
Traditional laptops are often used in high school labs, CTE programs, STEM courses, engineering, robotics, digital arts, media production, and staff environments. They may be better suited for students who need software that requires more processing power or does not run well in a browser.
While affordability is always part of the evaluation, the decision on whether to choose Chromebooks for students or laptops must account for other factors as well.
Chromebooks typically provide a lower per-unit cost, which matters when schools are purchasing hundreds or thousands of devices. A lower acquisition cost can make 1:1 programs more feasible, especially when schools also need to purchase accessories, carts, licenses, and support.
Google reports 57% lower operational costs compared with Windows devices, plus a $38-per-device Chrome Education Upgrade for centralized management.
Student Chromebooks are strong for browser-based learning, cloud collaboration, learning management systems, and common classroom tools. Traditional laptops are stronger when students need installed software for design, engineering, coding, video editing, or specialized academic programs.
Chromebooks are often easier to manage at scale through centralized tools and cloud-based administration. Laptops may require more complex endpoint management, patching, software deployment, and security controls.
Schools may use one device type broadly or combine both depending on grade level, curriculum, and support capacity.
Device Type | Best Fit | Common Use Cases |
Chromebooks | Affordable, cloud-first student access | 1:1 programs, elementary and middle school instruction, Google Workspace, online assessments, shared carts, take-home devices |
Traditional laptops | Higher-performance or software-specific needs | STEM, CTE, computer science, engineering, robotics, digital arts, media production, staff devices, advanced courses |
While standardizing purchasing has significant benefits, academic institutions don’t have to settle on one type of device or another. Most schools standardize Chromebooks for students while purchasing laptops for programs that require more processing power or installed applications.
Procurement teams, however, also need to look at the full lifecycle cost of student devices. That includes warranty coverage, protective cases, chargers, replacement parts, charging carts, software licensing, device management tools, accidental damage coverage, repairs, refresh cycles, and recycling or disposal.
The best device decision is the one that supports instruction while remaining manageable for IT, finance, and procurement teams over several years.
A cooperative contract can help schools align these related purchases through a competitively solicited agreement that streamlines procurement and offers significant volume discounts.
E&I Cooperative Services provides cooperative contracts built for education procurement and solicited on behalf of more than 6,500 member institutions, resulting in significant buying power that produces pricing discounts and specialized terms for schools.
E&I’s cooperative contract with CDW-G offers discounts on CDW’s full catalog of more than 1,000+ technology partners, including student Chromebooks, laptops, software, and a wide selection of related education technology.
Explore the CDW contract through E&I Cooperative Services and take advantage of volume discounts, streamlined procurement, and exclusive benefits.