Best Laptop for Homeschooling in 2024

If you have a child that you plan on homeschooling for whatever reasons, they still need to have the right equipment. In today’s learning environment, there is nothing more important than technology.

Simply put, if you expect your child to keep up and be prepared for the real world, they need to have a computer or laptop. This is exactly what we are here to help you find today.

We want to take a look at some of the top contenders for the best laptop for homeschooling. We’re going to help you find a great laptop that your child will really like, one that performs well, and won’t cost you a fortune.

Best Laptops for Homeschooling: Reviews

1. HP Pavilion 15 Laptop

Here we have a high-performance laptop that comes to us at a reasonable price, one that is rather perfect for homeschooling. It comes complete with everything a student could possibly need.

Review

This laptop features specifications that are more than good enough for any student, whether we are talking about basic online textbook learning or graphic design. The 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor is more than fast and powerful enough to keep up with any student needs.

It comes complete with a full 16 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of SSD storage, both of which should be more than good enough for basic needs. No, it’s not the most storage in the world, but it should do just fine, particularly for students.

What students might also appreciate is that this laptop comes with an extra-long battery life. You can use it unplugged for up to eight hours and you can charge it by 50% in just 45 minutes of charging. That is definitely convenient for people who are on the go.

Speaking of people who are on the go, this laptop is also quite convenient because it is fairly lightweight and compact. Although it is compact, the 15.6-inch screen size is still large enough for most needs. Let’s not forget that the screen itself is a full high-definition screen complete with a micro edged bezel. This is a 1080P display, which is ideal for a variety of media purposes.

The bottom line is that you get a really nice display complete with very high-quality graphics that are more than good enough for gaming and watching movies alike, not just for learning. Keep in mind that it also comes complete with Windows 10 Pro.

What people might also really appreciate about this laptop is the fact that it comes complete with an HDMI port so you can connect it to a larger screen. It also comes with several USB ports so you can easily match all of your favorite accessories. The fact that it comes in at a relatively reasonable price is just an added bonus.

Pros

• Good specs for most purposes
• High quality display
• Fast performance
• Compact and lightweight
• Durable design
• Good connectivity options

Cons

• Could have more dedicated storage

2. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

If you are looking for a very basic laptop that is ideal for students and learning, plus a little bit of fun, this might be the best option for you. It’s definitely going to be one of the more cost-effective options on the list today.

Review

Here we have a laptop that comes with an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core Processor. For those of you who don’t know, that is a fairly powerful processor, more than could usually be expected for the low price point that this laptop comes to us at.

It should be more than fast enough to take care of all of your basic needs, including textbook learning, surfing the web, and even watching some videos. It might not be the number one fastest processor in the world, but it should be good enough for most basic needs.

This laptop then also comes complete with four gigabytes of DDR4 memory. In other words, it has four gigabytes of RAM, which should be more than enough for basic web surfing and learning needs, although it might not be quite fast enough for high end gaming.

The same can be said for the 128 gigabytes of SSD storage that this unit comes with. 128 gigabytes is enough to save files for student learning and for other such purposes, although it’s definitely not the biggest storage capacity in the world.

Something that you might appreciate is that it comes with up to 7.5 hours of battery life. This is fairly impressive for such an affordable laptop. This means that you can easily use it on the go, even if you happen to forget your power cord at home. Speaking of being portable and convenient, this is also a compact laptop that doesn’t weigh very much.

Although it doesn’t weigh too much, it still has a fairly impressive screen that comes in at 15.6 inches. This should be more than large enough for most basic purposes, even for watching some videos.

Keep in mind that this is a full high definition 1920 by 1080 display, so the quality is actually quite good. Although the graphics card that this unit comes with isn’t the best in the world, it’s still good enough for most basic needs.

Something else you might appreciate is that this unit comes complete with several USB ports for great connectivity, so you can connect all of your devices. It also comes complete with an HDMI port. Keep in mind that this unit comes preloaded with Windows 10. We personally love Windows 10, particularly for learning needs.

On a side note, you can get this unit in a bundle that comes complete with a variety of accessories, such as a bag, mouse, and other such accessories. All in all, for the rock bottom price that this laptop comes in at, we think that there’s absolutely nothing to complain about.

Pros

• Very good price
• Compact and lightweight
• Good screen
• Adequate performance for schooling
• Good battery life

Cons

• Not all that much RAM or storage

3. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i

If you are looking for a good laptop, but don’t want to spend a fortune, then Lenovo is always a good brand to consider. What you get here is a fairly decent laptop for a very low price. It should be more than good enough for students.

Review

This is a laptop that comes complete with a 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 Processor. For those of you who don’t know, that’s actually a very powerful processor. It’s way more powerful than we would usually expect for a laptop that comes in at such a low price.

It should therefore be more than good enough for textbook learning, watching videos, and looking for some low-end gaming.

Furthermore, this unit comes complete with a 128 GB solid-state drive. It’s not the biggest hard drive in the world, but it should definitely be good enough for homeschooling and student needs. It’s not going to be ideal for activities like gaming, but it’s more than good enough for at home learning.

However, what is quite impressive is that this unit comes with 8 gigabytes of high bandwidth RAM. That’s a lot of RAM for such an affordable laptop. It should be more than good enough to run several applications at once, even ones that use up a whole lot of juice on their own. All in all, for such an affordable laptop, the performance is actually quite high.

You can also get a 15.6-inch full high-definition display with 1920 by 1080 resolution. It also comes with a non-touch narrow border display. This unit also comes with a fairly good graphics card. Together, this allows you to watch videos and even play games in a high-resolution manner. Simply put, the screen is actually quite impressive for such an affordable laptop.

The fact that this laptop is still quite compact and lightweight does make a big difference. It’s more than ideal for being on the go.

This Lenovo laptop also features a variety of USB ports for great connectivity options. Yes, it does also come with an HDMI port, as well as an SD card reader. It also comes with fairly high-quality speakers, a camera, a microfiber cloth, and more.

The bottom line is that we usually wouldn’t expect to get such a good laptop for such a low price, but here we are. The only slight downside is that this laptop does not appear to have the very best battery life out there. However, if you are just at home, it’s more than good enough, especially if you have it plugged in.

Pros

• Portable
• Great price
• Good performance for the low price
• Nice screen
• Good specs for schooling needs

Cons

• Battery life could be better

4. ASUS VivoBook L203MA Ultra-Thin Laptop

If what you were looking for is a super affordable and basic laptop, this is probably it. This is by far the most affordable laptop on the list today, therefore being ideal for people who are on a tight budget.

Review

This laptop comes complete with an Intel Celeron N4000 Processor. Now, if you know a thing or two about laptops, you probably know that this is not the best processor in the world. 

However, the processor is more than good enough for basic student and homeschooling needs. It’s good enough to surf the web, run basic applications, and more. Just don’t expect it to perform very well when it comes to intensive gaming or video needs.

On that note, this unit comes complete with 64 gigabytes of flash storage. As you might be able to recognize, 64 gigabytes is not very much. Sure, it’s more than enough to save some textbooks and assignments, but don’t expect to download your whole music library onto this laptop and still have room for more.

On a related note, this laptop comes with 4 gigabytes of RAM. 4 gigabytes of RAM should be more than enough for most basic needs, especially for basic homeschooling. However, it might not perform that well if you have multiple intensive applications open at once, such as media related applications. This isn’t the kind of laptop where you can play memory intensive games.

Now, something that is very convenient about this laptop is that it is by far the most compact and lightweight on the list today. This makes it more than ideal for always being on the go. It’s only 0.7 inches thin and weighs just over 2 pounds, and that includes the battery. It is the smallest, most compact, and lightest unit on the list today.

That said, it has an 11.6-inch-high-definition display. The display is 1366 by 768, which is decent, although not great. It’s definitely not a full high-definition display such as the other units we have looked at so far today. It’s the kind of laptop that’s more than good enough for reading textbooks and finishing assignments, although it’s probably not the best for watching videos or playing games.

To help you connect to a variety of accessories and devices, it comes complete with a couple of USB ports. It even features an HDMI port so you can easily connect it to an extra monitor. Keep in mind that included with your purchase you get a one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365. All in all, for the very low price that this unit comes in at, there’s not much to complain about.

Pros

• Fantastic price
• Compact and lightweight
• Ideal for students
• One year of Microsoft Office
• Decent performance for student needs

Cons

• Specs aren’t good enough for media or gaming

5. Lenovo Chromebook Duet

If you are looking for something super convenient that is ideal for being on the go, this combination laptop and tablet might just be it. It comes in at a reasonable price and still performs quite well.

Review

What stands out about this particular laptop is that you can remove the keyboard and effectively turn it into a touch screen tablet. The simple fact that you can type using either a keyboard or the touch screen keyboard is a pretty big deal because it makes life a whole lot easier.

If nothing else, it certainly makes this unit much more portable. If you are on the go, you can always use it in tablet mode, and if you’re at home, use it with the keyboard. It comes complete with a 5-point Pogo pin and a magnet, which allows for a fairly secure connection between the main tablet and the keyboard.

We do like how this unit comes complete with a very responsive touch screen that you don’t need to hammer at to get a response out of it. It can easily recognize your touch. It’s a 10-point multi-touch touchscreen that is extremely responsive. There is also a stylus available that is sold separately.

The screen here is a full high-definition screen with a resolution of 1200 by 1920P. This is more than good enough for all sorts of basic student and homeschooling needs. It’s even more than good enough for watching videos and playing games, which is also true thanks to the decent graphics card that this unit comes with.

In terms of the specs, you get 64 gigabytes of storage space. As you might be able to tell, that’s not huge. It’s not the type of device that you’re going to download your whole music library onto. However, it should be good enough for basic homeschooling and student needs.

This can also be said for the 4 gigabytes of RAM. 4 gigabytes of ram is not all that much, but more than enough for basic student and learning needs. It’s more than good enough to run a couple of applications at once, especially if they aren’t games.

What also stands out about this little Chromebook is the fact that it features a 10-hour battery life. That’s quite impressive for such a small unit. 

In fact, that’s the longest battery life of any laptop or tablet that we have looked at so far today. Once again, this is another feature that makes it ideal for people who are on the go. You can’t always have your laptop plugged in, so having good battery life is important.

Pros

• Small and compact
• Portable
• Good battery life
• Detachable keyboard
• Decent specs for a low price
• Affordable

Cons

• Some people may find the display to be too small

6. Apple 2020 MacBook Pro

If what you are looking for is high-end performance, and you’re willing to pay for it, then this MacBook Pro might just be the right option for you. Keep in mind that it’s definitely not the newest model out there, but it still performs very well.

Review

In terms of specifications and performance, this is definitely a very high-end unit. For instance, it comes complete with an 8 core CPU that allows for up to 2.8 times faster performance than comparable units.

If you need a machine that has great processing capabilities, this is definitely one of the best units on the list so far. It’s the kind of laptop where you can run multiple applications at once without issue.

You might also be impressed by the 16-core neural engine that allows for advanced machine learning. Next, you may also like the 8-core GPU that has up to five times faster graphics. This makes this laptop ideal for gaming, movies, and so much more.

Yes, of course it is good enough for basic student and homeschooling needs, but it can do so much more than opening textbooks and using note taking applications. In fact, if you want to play games and watch movies, this is probably the best laptop on the list today.

It features a full 8 gigabytes of unified memory, which means that it does have great processing power. You can easily have several memory intensive applications open at once, and this laptop will be able to keep up no problem. In this sense, it is likely the fastest laptop on the list.

In terms of storage, this MacBook comes complete with 256 gigabytes of SSD storage. 256 gigabytes is more than enough for most basic needs, especially if you are a homeschooled student. It should even be good enough to let you install some games, save some movies, and more. It’s not the most storage in the world, but it should still be more than enough for basic needs.

Even better is the fact that here you get a 13.3-inch high-definition screen. That screen features an amazing resolution, which combined with the awesome graphics, allows for a great viewing experience. In fact, it’s one of the highest performing screens on the list today.

You might also appreciate the fact that this unit comes complete with 20 hours of battery life. That is longer than any other Mac out there. The great battery life, plus its compact and lightweight design, make it more than ideal for people who are always on the go.

No, this is by far not the cheapest laptop on the list today. In fact, it is the most expensive unit on our list. However, you know what they say, you get what you pay for. What you get here is high-end performance.

Pros

• Great processing power
• Lots of storage
• High performance
• High quality screen
• Amazing battery life
• Lightweight and compact

Cons

• Pricey

7. Microsoft Surface Pro

Here we have a high-performance combination tablet and laptop that comes in at a rather moderate price. It is one of the slightly more expensive units on our list, although we do think that it is well worth the investment.

Review

Here we have a laptop that comes complete with an Intel Core i5 processor. That should be more than powerful enough to take care of any homeschooling and student needs. It should also be more than powerful enough for gaming and media needs. It’s just a really good processor, and you shouldn’t need anything more than that.

This laptop also comes complete with 128 gigabytes of SSD storage. No, it’s not the most storage out of any laptop in the world, although it should be more than enough for homeschooling needs. 128 gigabytes is no small number.

At the same time, it also comes complete with 8 gigabytes of RAM. That should be more than enough RAM to run a variety of applications at once, even media related applications. Sure, you can find laptops that have even more RAM, but not for this kind of price.

It actually also comes with a really nice graphics card, so you don’t have to worry about that. When it comes to watching media, playing games, and overall performance, this is a high-end unit. It’s surprising that it doesn’t cost more than it does.

In terms of the display, what you get here is a full high-definition display that features a whopping 2880 by 1920 pixel display. This is by far the highest quality and highest resolution display of any laptop on our list today. Therefore, if you need something that is ideal for media watching purposes, then this is an excellent laptop to consider. You will be able to see every last detail.

Now, this is just a relatively small 13-inch display, but the tradeoff you get here is convenience and portability. This is a paper-thin tablet that is extremely lightweight and more than ideal for being on the go. At the same time, the keyboard that it comes with is actually detachable. This means that you can effectively use it as a laptop or a tablet, whatever works best for you.

Pros

• Great display
• Good specs
• High performance
• More than enough for homeschooling
• Decent price
• Compact and portable

Cons

• Battery life could be better

Buyers Guide

Before we call it a day, let’s provide you with some purchasing tips on how to find the best laptop for homeschooling.

1. Size

We would recommend going for a laptop that has a screen size between 11 and 16 inches. You want something that is large enough so your child can easily see what is going on. However, you also want the laptop to be small enough to be relatively portable. You need it to easily fit on a desk, be portable, yet still be big enough to be useful.

2. Portability

Of course, related to the above point, you do want something that isn’t overly large or heavy. Your child will likely still want to take a laptop from one place to another. On that note, you want a unit that has decent battery life. You don’t always want to have it plugged in because that is certainly not portable.

3. Required Accessories

Although most laptops nowadays don’t come with accessories included, there are some that you may want. You may want an external monitor for better viewing capabilities. You might also want a mouse or keyboard, speakers, or anything else of the sort.

4. Processor

Generally speaking, you do want at least a quad core processor, as you do need some power. That said, students who are being homeschooled don’t need all that much processing power. As long as you can run educational applications, you should be fine. That said, if you want to watch videos and play games, you will need something slightly more powerful.

5. RAM

At the very least, you want the laptop in question to have 4 gigabytes of RAM. That should be more than enough for basic needs. If you’re going to be watching videos, go for 8 gigabytes, and at least 16 gigabytes if you plan on doing some gaming too.

6. Storage

In terms of storage, you want something that has at least 64 gigabytes, if not more. The more games, music, and videos you plan on having on your device, the more storage you will need.

7. Price

Of course, you probably don’t want to spend a fortune on a laptop. Just keep in mind that in terms of performance, you get what you pay for. It might be worth spending a few extra dollars for something that is going to perform well and last for years to come.

FAQ

#1 What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a laptop?

The biggest difference is that Chromebooks usually operate on the Chrome operating system, whereas laptops usually run on Mac or Windows.

#2 Are Chromebooks Good For Homeschooling My Kids?

Chromebooks, although a little bit pricey for what they are, are perfectly fine for homeschooling your kids. They are very high-performance units that perform very well.

#3 Are MacBooks an Overkill For Homeschooling?

Macbooks are of course very expensive and have very great specs too. If you want the best of the best for your children, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get one. That said, for basic homeschooling needs, they’re probably a little bit overkill.

#4 Can you homeschool children without a laptop?

Although it is technically possible to do so, in today’s learning environment, technology is certainly an advantage.

#5 Is a laptop better for homeschooling than a desktop computer?

With a desktop computer, you’re going to get much better performance for a much lower price. However, the tradeoff is that desktop computers are not portable. It’s definitely a decision worth considering.

Conclusion

If what you are looking for is the best performance and the most value for your money, the Microsoft Surface Pro is what we would recommend getting. It’s neither the cheapest nor the most expensive unit on the list. We think it comes with a great mix of value and performance.