6 Best Chromebooks for the Classroom Under $200

Chromebooks in the classroom have changed the face of school-issued technology over the past three or four years. In 2016, more than 30 million students across North America used a Chromebook in education settings; at Chicago Public Schools alone, Chrome devices account for an astounding 134,000 student laptops.

The value proposition is as straightforward as it comes:

• Chromebooks give schools a good bang for the buck; with individual units costing between $200-$300 per student, the price is right for the most cost-conscious school districts.
• The form factor is practical and durable. They are lightweight, but tested to withstand 60-centimeter drops (or more) and have spill-resistant key covers.
• Many educators prefer tactile keyboards over touch-type, tablet-style character entry.

With OEMs looking to buck the trend, each has put to market Chromebook models geared towards student use. Below we ferret out hardware facets that K12 procurement specialists should be looking for to determine the best Chromebook for the classroom.

In 2019, Chromebooks took first place in education market share. The Google for Education console has built a solid reputation among educators and school IT professionals. When you offer something that’s easy to use and easy to manage, it’s easy to see why Chromebook market share in education (60% and growing) has grown so aggressively.

Chrome devices on Windows domain behave well, a nod to the evolution of synthetic neuroplacticity between the big three operating systems and the hardware running them.

Microsoft is not standing idle watching Google and Chrome take the education segment.  Microsoft loyalists may want to check out Windows laptops for $200-250; there are several quality models available on NeweggBusiness that will rival Chromebooks in the classroom named above.