Best Chromebooks for Students in 2025

The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus offers an ideal balance of performance and affordability, making it a top pick for students. For less than $600, you get a versatile 2-in-1 design, a vibrant IPS display, a 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, and all the ports you need for connecting accessories and external drives. You can expect around 8 to 10 hours of battery life per charge, which is enough for a typical school day or a full afternoon of studying.

The Flex 5i's 2-in-1 design at such an affordable price is particularly noteworthy. Tablet mode allows you to use hand notetaking apps like Goodnotes or Nebo to take notes with a stylus rather than typing. If you want the convenience of digital notes with the feel of paper notes, a 2-in-1 like the Flex 5i could be perfect.

There's a lot to love about this Chromebook, but I recommend looking for one with at least 256GB of storage. The base model only includes 128GB of storage, which can fill up faster than you might think. Of course, using cloud storage for things like photos and Google Docs can help you save space, but if you want plenty of room for apps, it's worth spending a little more for extra storage.

If you're on a tight budget or just need a barebones device for getting basic tasks done, take a look at the Asus Chromebook CM14. It’s not fancy, but it can definitely get the job done, especially with surprisingly long battery life and military-grade durability. At well under $300, this is a Chromebook almost anyone can afford.

The Chromebook CM14 sports a no-frills, all-black design that has no trouble blending in in the classroom. It meets the US MIL-STD 810H military-grade durability standard, meaning this little laptop can take a hit. That's a major perk for students since drops and accidents are more likely when taking out your laptop between classes or between home and school. The high durability rating on the Chromebook CM14, combined with the low price, also makes it a great Chromebook for younger students getting their first laptop.

Unfortunately, Asus made a couple of major sacrifices to bring the price down. The Chromebook CM14 only has 64GB of storage, less than many phones these days, and a measly 4GB of RAM. So, it's really only suited for the most basic of tasks, like web browsing. If you just need a device for typing up essays and turning in homework, it should work just fine for you. However, if you need to do anything more demanding than that, you may want to spend a little more for a more capable Chromebook.

A 2-in-1 Chromebook can be a good option for students who mainly prefer to use a laptop but might occasionally want a tablet. But what if you prefer things the other way around? If you mainly use a tablet for schoolwork but want the option to easily connect a keyboard when you need it, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 is the perfect choice.

This is effectively the ChromeOS alternative to an iPad. You get a roomy yet portable 11-inch display with uniform bezels all the way around and a landscape-mode webcam. Unlike an iPad, though, the Duet 11 includes a folio case with a detachable keyboard (while also costing less than most iPads). Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a stylus, but you can pair it with a Bluetooth or USI stylus for taking notes by hand or drawing.

The Duet 11 has a lot going for it for certain types of students. If you're used to a tablet and want something flexible and lightweight with decent battery life, it's a great pick. However, the kickstand design can be awkward, especially if you want to use the Duet 11 in laptop mode on your lap. The base storage in the Duet 11 is also quite low, so I suggest getting the 128GB model if you can.

If you want to do more than just schoolwork on your Chromebook, check out the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE. It's a great Chromebook in its own right, but it boasts some gaming-specific features that make it the perfect fit for students who also want to do a little gaming between homework sessions.

The Chromebook Plus 516 GE really shines as a cloud gaming device for services like Nvidia GeForce Now. It sports a fantastic display with vibrant colors and an impressive 120Hz refresh rate, much higher than you usually see on Chromebooks. The keyboard is snappy and responsive like a mechanical gaming keyboard and features RGB backlighting.

The Intel Core 5 120U processor is also more powerful than most other Chromebooks. With the Proton compatibility layer on Steam, you can even play some lightweight Windows games locally, as ChromeOS is basically just Google's version of Linux.

Unfortunately, while the Chromebook Plus 516 GE isn't technically a full-fledged gaming laptop, it shares one of their most common weaknesses: mediocre battery life. You can expect to get a maximum of around 8 hours of battery life per charge, and less if you're gaming. That's not bad for a Chromebook, but it's just barely enough to get through a full day of class.

Chromebooks are often known for being basic, budget-friendly laptops, but that doesn't mean you can't find one that's a step above. If you want a Chromebook with a little more processing power and a sharper display for getting all your school work done, check out the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14.

This slim, sleek laptop boasts an outstanding battery life of up to 17 hours. That's incredible considering the Chromebook Plus 14 costs less than $800. It pairs stellar battery life with an incredible OLED display, which you don't see often on Chromebooks. The display isn't the only premium spec, either. The Chromebook Plus 14 also features a MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 with 16GB of RAM. Together, they offer significantly more processing power than most other Chromebooks.

If you have a little more money to spend, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is well worth it. The high-end specs and features will allow you to use more resource-intensive apps for tasks like video editing or drawing. In fact, the Chromebook Plus 14 is the first Chromebook that includes Google Gemini AI features running locally (rather than through the Cloud). For instance, you can edit photos with AI directly on your device on this Chromebook. That extra processing power can really come in handy if you use AI to help you study.

How to Choose a Chromebook for School

The most important factors to consider when choosing a Chromebook for school are budget, design and portability, battery life, and app compatibility. If you're a parent shopping for a younger student, you should probably take durability into account, too.

Budget is the main concern for many students, which is part of why Chromebooks make such a good pick for school, thanks to their affordable price. You shouldn't need to spend more than $800 on a good Chromebook. Most students can even get a great device for around $500 or $600, like the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. If you want premium features like a high-end display, plan to spend around $600 to $800. Basic Chromebooks can easily be found for $400 or less.

After deciding on your budget, consider how you prefer to study and tackle school work. Some students prefer taking notes by hand, which might mean a tablet or 2-in-1 Chromebook is the way to go. Regardless of whether or not you opt for a 2-in-1, portability is also an important factor to pay attention to. Most Chromebooks are on the smaller side, but there are a few, like the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE, that are a bit more bulky. If you need to do a lot of running around on campus, a smaller, lighter Chromebook will probably be the best choice.

Before buying a Chromebook, you should also make sure there aren't any Windows or MacOS apps you need for class. Chromebooks use Google's ChromeOS operating system, meaning they aren't compatible with Windows or MacOS apps (although some apps have a ChromeOS or Android version).

Chromebook for Students FAQs

Are Chromebooks good for college?

Chromebooks can be great laptops for college, but it depends on what you're studying (and where). If all you need to do is web browsing, research, homework, and writing essays, a Chromebook is a great, affordable option.

However, some majors rely on software that's only available on MacOS or Windows, like CAD software for engineering majors or video editing apps for film majors. If that’s the case, you may want to consider a gaming laptop instead. If you're not sure if your major will require any specific apps that might not be available on ChromeOS, it's a good idea to check with your professors, academic advisor, orientation board, or new student committee.

Can you use Microsoft Word on a Chromebook?

If Microsoft Office apps are a must-have for your schoolwork, you're in luck. There are a couple of ways to use Microsoft Word on Chromebooks. You can use the web version of Word in Chrome or another browser, or you can download the Android version of Microsoft Word on the Google Play Store. The same goes for the other Microsoft Office apps, as well.

What is the difference between a Chromebook and a normal laptop?

The main difference between Chromebooks and other laptops is the operating system. Chromebooks run on ChromeOS, rather than MacOS or Windows. That can be a positive and a negative depending on what you're looking for.

Chromebooks are often more affordable than Windows laptops and almost always cost less than MacBooks. However, ChromeOS isn't compatible with many of the same apps you can access on a Mac or Windows laptop. If you have any specific must-have apps, you should probably check that they're available on ChromeOS before investing in a Chromebook.

Stevie Bonifield is a freelance tech journalist who has written for IGN, PC Gamer, Tom's Guide, and Laptop Mag, covering everything from custom keyboards to gaming on Linux.