So you’re wondering what are the best laptops for school?
For a school laptop, you want something that is portable and but powerful enough so they can do all the homework and research they need.
And of course, budget is also a factor (If it’s not, simply go with a high-end laptop… you can’t go wrong with those!).
What to expect from the best laptops for school?
(First of all, in this article, I’m focusing on laptops high school! If you’re looking for a laptop for college or university, it different. And for younger ones, check out this article on the best laptops for kids.)
Chromebook or Windows?
There are some great Chromebooks on the market nowadays at a very reasonable price. These could be a very good budget laptop for a student, if he doesn’t need Windows.
Chromebooks are great when you need to research on the internet, write papers and you have constant wi-fi access. Otherwise, there are also some great Windows laptops for school, at a reasonable price.
Screen size & Portability
Since they’ll often carry their laptop at school with them, portability is a factor. I’d avoid bulky 15-inch laptops because I find them too heavy to carry every day, especially if you’re 12 years old!
I’d also avoid laptops under 12-inch since the screen & keyboard is usually a bit too small. To do homework and research on the internet, a 12, 13 or 14-inch laptop is perfect.
Performance
You want to make sure that you choose a laptop with enough performance to last their whole high school. For that, I’d avoid some of the very low budget laptops. Some are equipped with a low-end processor and little RAM. It would be enough for now, but I doubt they’ll perform well in 3 or 4 years.
Budget
With all that in mind, you can find something pretty powerful that will last for many years, at a good price. You’ll find everything here from budget laptops to mid-range laptops so you can find a laptop for all purses!
I tried to keep away from more expensive laptops, but if your budget is higher, I suggest you look at the 13 & 14-inch best mid-range laptops around $700, $800 and $1000.
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Specs for the Top 12 Best Laptops for School
Graphics 11 to 15-inch Processor Intel Pentium, m3, i3 & i5 RAM 4 to 8 GB Storage 32 to 1000 GB Battery life 5 to 12 hours OS Windows 10, ChromeOS Thickness / Weight 0.52 to 1.2" / 2.3 to 5.27 lbs Price Range $ to $$$
Top 12 Best Laptops for School
1 – Asus Q304UA – 13″ HD Convertible
“Best laptop for school”
This is definitely one of the best value laptops for school you can buy. It’s a budget 2-in-1 that delivers a lot of value and that has enough power the last for a few years. It’s design makes it very versatile and the quality is great for the price. Really a great purchase! Read our full review.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 6 GB of RAM |
Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.78″ / 3.31 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
2 – Dell Inspiron i5378 – 13″ HD Convertible
“Top laptop for school”
I think this laptop is one of the great laptops for school you can find on the market. It has a nice look, a perfect sized 13.3? HD screen and it converts to a tablet for reading. Thanks to its 2-in-1 design, it’s also great for watching videos in tent mode (I’m of course talking about educational videos!). It’s powerful so that it’ll last for a long time and has a huge hard drive to store everything they need.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
Battery life | Expect 6 to 7 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.77″ / 3.56 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
3 – HP Spectre X2 – 12″ HD Detachable
“Great detachable budget laptop for school”
If you’re looking for a laptop for school that you child will put in its bag and forget it’s there, this is probably your best choice! Budget price, portable, ultra-light and equipped with an HD screen. It’s tough to find better value. This 12-inch 2-in-1 is one of the great laptops for school since you can use it as a tablet and as a normal laptop. It’s very useful for homework, reading and watching videos. He’ll be able to carry around everywhere and it won’t break your budget!
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel m3 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.52″ / 2.68 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
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4 – Acer Spin 5 – 13″ HD Convertible
“Performance 2-in-1 laptop for school”
This is another great 2-in-1 laptop! It’s light, powerful and has a fast SSD hard drive. The battery life is long so your child can bring it at school without a charger and it has a very decent price! Acer is known for making great value laptops and this one doesn’t disappoint!
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.78″ / 3.53 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
the more affordable Acer Swift 3
6 – Asus Chromebook C202SA – 11″
“Sturdy & Small low-priced laptop for school”
If you’re looking for a small laptop for school, this Chromebook is probably your best choice. Asus made it perfect for students since it’s powerful enough for any homework & research, but more importantly it’s one of the most sturdy on this list! It’s made to resist a drop of 4 feet so it’s perfect for the not-so-careful student!
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 11.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Intel Pentium N3060 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 16 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.9″ / 2.65 lbs |
Price Range | $ |
# 9 to 12 Best Laptops for School
7 – Acer Chromebook 14 – 14″ HD
“Great Value Budget Chromebook”
This Chromebook is an excellent, quality choice! This is a perfect Chromebook laptop for school when all you need is internet, writing papers & watching videos. This budget laptop is sleek, all aluminium, fast, light and equipped with an HD screen. For the price, you’ll hardly find more value. I often recommend this Chromebook and I think it’s an excellent laptop for school. Read our full review.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Pentium N3160 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.67″ / 3.42 lbs |
Price Range | $ |
8 – Asus Vivobook E403SA – 14″ HD
“14-inch lightweight laptop”
The Asus Vivobook E403SA has a little less power than the others, but it makes it up with the ultra-fast SSD hard drive and its very affordable price! It has a big 14-inch HD screen so it’s easier to do homework but it’s also ultra-light at 3.3 pounds. All that for a low-price. That’s a great deal!
Graphics | 14″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Pentium N3700 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.7″ / 3.3 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
9 – Acer Switch Alpha 12 – 12″ HD Detachable
“Small versatile 12-inch laptop”
This is another good choice for a small 12-inch laptop that is easy to carry around and powerful enough to do homework. Its 2-in-1 format is great for everything, from reading in tablet mode to researching on the internet. The quality is good and it’s quite fast. Read our full review.
Graphics | 12″ HD touchscreen (2160 x 1440) |
Performance | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.62″ / 2.9 lbs |
Price Range | $$$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
the upgraded version 12-inch QHD + Integrated
10 – Asus Chromebook C300SA – 13″
“Low-price colorful notebook”
This Asus is probably one of the cheapest laptops for school you can find, but still deliver decent performance. In a colorful, “>lightweight format, it’s going to be good enough for homework and studies, without emptying your bank account!
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 13.3″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Pentium N3060 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 16 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.86″ / 2.97 lbs |
Price Range | $ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
11 – Asus VivoBook X540 – 15″
“15-inch budget laptop”
Although it’s a 15-inch laptop, the Asus VivoBook X540SA still is a good choice if you’re looking for a low-price laptop. At 4.2 pounds, it’s lighter than most 15-inch and performance is decent. It’s not going to be the fastest laptop in the class, but for the price it delivers quite a lot of value!
Graphics | 15.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Pentium N3700 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 500 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
Battery life | Up to 5 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 1″ / 4.19 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
12 – Acer Aspire E5-575-33BM – 15″ HD
“Great value 15-inch”
This Acer is surprisingly good for the price. It’s not the lightest one, so it may not be the best choice if your kid brings it at school everyday, but otherwise it delivers a lot of value.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) |
Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 1.2″ / 5.27 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
the more powerful gaming Acer Aspire E5-575G-53VG
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Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer, and avid traveler.