How Much Do Schools Pay for Chromebooks? — Factors That Contribute to the Cost

You’ve been tasked with the enormous job of securing a brand-new Chromebook fleet for your school.

Seems fairly straightforward, right?

Pick the Chromebook model, order the required number of devices, and stay within budget.

But there’s more to it than that.

You need to know what other expenses you should consider, so you know how to budget, but you’re not sure where to start.

We can help.

This guide will outline all the factors that contribute to the cost of Chromebooks for schools, as well as ways to minimize these costs.

• Go-Box: A Cost-Effective Chromebook Enrollment Automation Tool
• How Much Does a School Chromebook Cost?
• 3 Factors That Determine How Much Chromebooks for School Cost
• How Much Do Schools Pay for Chromebooks? Consider the Added Cost for Chromebook Setup
• The Time Commitment Costs That Contribute to How Much Schools Pay for Chromebook Fleets
• Go-Box: The Only Commercial Solution for Enrollment Automation

Aside from the initial purchase price of the Chromebooks, the cost associated with enrollment is often a school’s biggest cost for their Chromebook fleet.

The 1:1 enrollment process is a time-consuming, drawn-out process that any experienced IT professional dreads. 

Go-Box has an easier way — your very own in-house, white-glove service for a tiny fraction of the cost. 

With Go-Box, you have the ability to …

• Quickly provision 16 Chromebooks at once, regardless of the model
• Automatically re-enroll existing devices after a forced wipe
• Access a user-friendly interface that doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge; and
• Access full tech support when needed

… year after year, all for a low, one-time investment.

When it comes to the best device for classroom use, Chromebooks simply can’t be beaten. 

Chromebooks are easy to use, easy to repair, and come in at a much lower price point than any other laptop or tablet option.

When it comes to school use devices, Chromebooks offer the best bang for a school’s buck.

However, there is no easy answer to the question, “How much do school Chromebooks cost?”

While the average price of a school Chromebook can range anywhere from $100-$1000 each, the final cost per Chromebook will vary greatly depending on a multitude of factors.

When trying to determine how much Chromebooks cost for schools, some factors to consider include the:

• Brand
• Model
• Processor
• Amount of memory
• Features
• Accessories
• Vendor
• Discounts offered
• Setup costs; and
• Maintenance costs

When it comes to Chromebook options, there are almost as many choices as there are courses offered at schools. 

Each Chromebook brand offers a variety of models and features — and each of the features can affect the individual cost of the device. 

Some of the most popular features that affect how much schools pay for Chromebooks include: 

• Cloud storage
• Quality of the keyboard
• Battery life
• Ease of web browsing
• Presence of a headphone jack
• Touchscreen options
• And more

Acer Chromebooks are known for their good performance and clean designs. 

Holding almost 6% of the market share, Acer continues to be one of Google’s top partners, offering high-quality products that fit every budget. 

Some of Acer’s most popular devices are:

• Acer Chromebook Spin 13 — The top high-end option
• Acer Chromebook Spin 713 — A second high-end option
• Acer Chromebook Spin 513 — A great mid-range option
• Acer Chromebook 311 Tough — A good lower-range option

Samsung has been a key player in the Chromebook game since the creation of Chrome OS. 

Samsung’s products are known for their quality and while their higher price point reflects this, their Chromebook offerings do not disappoint. 

Some of the best Samsung Chromebooks for schools are: 

• Samsung Galaxy Chromebook — A top-notch, premium high-end device
• Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 — A device featuring higher-end specs and a more affordable price point
• Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 — Offering a strong and rugged chassis, it’s a great portable option
• Samsung Chromebook 4 — A solid budget-friendly choice

Lenovo, being one of the largest PC manufacturers, touts a wide offering of Chromebooks at a variety of price points. 

Some top Lenovo picks include: 

• Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 13-inch — Features high-quality performance with a great design and a light chassis
• Lenovo Chromebook Duet — A Chromebook tablet featuring a long battery life, sharp display, and compact design
• Lenovo Chromebook C340 — A great small 2-in-1 choice with a long battery life

Dell is a long-time front-runner in the laptop game, and when it comes to Chromebooks, this doesn’t change. 

While Dell’s Chromebook lineup isn’t as extensive as that of other brands, there are still some really great offerings being put up by Dell, such as:

• Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 — An overall solid choice for the price
• Dell Chromebook 3100 — Featuring a durable build, many consider this the best option for kids
• Dell Inspiron 11 Chromebook 2-in-1 — A great student option, offering a tough build and an affordable price
• Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise — A top-of-the-line choice offering the option between a clamshell or 2-in-1 design

Schools have a lot of choices when it comes to purchasing either their initial Chromebook fleet or replacement devices to add to an existing fleet. 

Some of the most common Chromebook suppliers for schools are:

• Online vendors
• Online bulk retailers
• Local retailers
• Refurbishers
• School-specific vendors; and 
• Direct purchases from Google

Ultimately, the supplier you choose can have a big impact on how much your school Chromebooks cost. 

When making your final vendor choice, be sure to consider any available discounts or other offers that may make the devices more affordable for your school.

Before placing your Chromebook order, take into account how the number of devices ordered could affect your per device purchase price.

For example, are you:  

• Buying just a few individual Chromebooks to replace broken devices?
• Buying an initial fleet?
• Ordering a few extra devices to build up your stockpile? 

Often, because there is discounted pricing available for bulk purchases, it can be more cost-effective to buy a few more devices than you actually need at the time of your order.

Unfortunately, the device’s purchase price is not the only thing to consider when it comes to your school’s final Chromebook classroom pricing. 

Chromebooks need specific software and applications to be compatible with school usage, and this can often prove to be costly for schools. 

Some additional costs that come with setting up a Chromebook fleet include:

• A strong and secure wireless infrastructure 
• Access to important school apps like Blackboard
• A legacy browser to support various applications; and  
• Fleet deployment

When it comes to the deployment of your school’s Chromebook fleet, you have 3 options:

1. Manual enrollment and configuration — The most common option for schools with limited budgets which requires long days, and sometimes even weeks, in which the school’s IT team manually enrolls each and every Chromebook, one at a time. 
2. White glove service — This option takes the pressure off of the school’s IT team and instead contracts out the configuration process, often at a premium cost that must be paid each and every year. 
3. Automated enrollment with Go-Box — This convenient cost-saving option allows your school to quickly and easily enroll an entire fleet for a fraction of the cost of white glove service. 

Let’s say your school has a Chromebook fleet of 1500 devices. Traditional white glove service runs about $10 per device, or approximately $15,000 for your fleet. 

Using Go-Box’s automated system for the same 1500 devices, your school could save as much as $13,500 — which is a savings of 90%.

And your school’s cost to re-enroll those 1500 devices next year? Nothing.

It’s clear to see that Go-Box is undeniably the most cost-effective option for setting up a school’s fleet of Chromebooks. 

Schools that don’t have the financial means to outsource white glove services will usually choose option #1 by default — tasking their own in-house IT team with the huge undertaking of manually enrolling each and every device. 

While this option may be financially less expensive than contracting a private white glove service, there is ultimately still a tremendous time commitment associated with this option. 

And you know what they say — time is money.

Go-Box has a better way.

Go-Box’s simple tool allows you to create your own in-house white glove service, quickly and easily simultaneously provisioning 16 Chromebooks — without the need for extensive or detailed coding knowledge. 

Requiring at least 3 minutes to deploy a single Chromebook, it would take your school’s IT team at least 75 hours or 2 full work weeks to manually deploy a 1500 device fleet. 

Go-Box can save valuable time for your team.

Allowing you to quickly and seamlessly configure 16 devices in as little as 90 seconds — your team will have the ability to deploy your entire 1500 device fleet in just a few short hours. 

2 weeks or 2 hours — is it really even a comparison?

It’s clear to see that, whether your school is looking to save time, money, or both, Go-Box is hands-down the best choice for your Chromebook enrollment needs.

With Go-Box, you have the ability to:

• Save time by automatically enrolling 16 devices at once — in seconds rather than hours.
• Slash enrollment costs by pennies on the dollar when compared to outsourced white glove services.
• Quickly and easily customize your setting options and configuration templates.
• Save even more money by using the same Go-Box equipment year after year — for no additional fees.

Stop wasting your school’s already over-stretched budget and overworked staff on outdated, expensive, or time-consuming enrollment options.

Choose the better way.

Contact Go-Box today for a risk-free quote for all of your school’s Chromebook enrollment needs.