Best Tablets for Elementary & High School Students | 2024 Edition

The rapidly evolving technology has transformed not only professional and personal life but also the education sector. Students now have access to a wealth of learning resources and digital tools that make their lives easier.

Tablets have proven to be particularly useful tools. Their lightweight, high portability, and versatility make them ideal companions in school. Additionally, tablets can help students complete their tasks more effectively and learn faster.

Courses, learning materials, notes, the internet—all of these are readily available on the digital companion. The choice of the right tablet for school depends on many factors. Depending on budget, learning requirements, device size and weight, and required software, the choice may vary for each person.

We recommend some of favorite tablets for school and also weigh down on the respective pros and cons of the tablets.

With the help of our best list, students can find a suitable device that supports their learning goals and facilitates their school routine.

If you’re looking for more hardware performance and are willing to spend a bit more, you should also check out our article on the best tablets for college students.

Best Tablets for Elementary & High School Students: An Overview

• Affordable Tablet with Keyboard for School: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook ( on Amazon*). What’s cool about this 10-inch tablet is that the keyboard is included, and it’s already available for under 400 euros. The display is solid, offering a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels and 60Hz. Students will also appreciate that the desktop version of Chrome is available. The update philosophy is great too: the device is expected to receive updates until 2030. Slightly annoying is that the tablet only runs on Android 9, and its performance may not be sufficient for demanding applications.
• Powerful Tablet for School: Apple iPad 10 (on Amazon*). High performance, classic design, moderate price, and good software—this sums up the iPad 10. Commendable are the good, separately available Apple Pencil and the optionally available keyboard cover. It’s unfortunate that the display is not laminated, which may seem outdated but hardly affects everyday use.
• Most Affordable Entry into the Apple Universe: Apple iPad 9 (on Amazon*). Due to its age, the iPad 9 is already available at a lower price than its successor. It has only slightly weaker hardware than the iPad 10 and, thanks to the Apple A13 processor, is still more powerful than most premium tablets from the competition. The display has a resolution of 1620 x 2160 pixels and 60Hz but is also not laminated. The tablet also features a fingerprint reader. Overall, the device is great for everyday use in school.
• Solid All-Rounder for School: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) (on Amazon*). Students looking for a solid mid-range tablet with current software and good keyboard and stylus support should consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022). The display is also good, with a resolution of 2000×1200 pixels. The tablet looks visually high-quality. However, the device’s performance is only average, making it not suitable for students who want to use highly computationally intensive apps daily.
• Budget Tablet with Windows: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i (on Amazon*). This device is an affordable Windows tablet that is especially suitable for office applications. The Lenovo tablet also stands out with its stylish design and a convenient folding stand. Additionally, the keyboard cover is included in the purchase. However, if you need a lot of performance for school tasks, you should look for a different device.

Tablets for Students: All Details

Let’s take a closer look at the best tablets for school in detail.

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook: Budget Tablet with Keyboard for School

The Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebook is available for under $400. It’s great that the good keyboard is already included. This makes it an ideal affordable tablet for students.

The desktop version of the Chrome browser is already pre-installed on the Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebook. This allows the installation of the same extensions as on a regular PC. Chrome originally started as a classic desktop operating system. Therefore, it can be operated unrestrictedly with a mouse and keyboard.

In addition, you have access to the Google Play Store on the tablet, allowing the installation of Android apps. The only drawback is that Microsoft Office apps do not work on the device, but Chrome offers good alternatives.

What’s excellent is that the tablet is supposed to receive updates until 2030.

However, the hardware performance of the tablet is rather weak. Gaming and the use of demanding apps are not recommended. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor and comes with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB or 256GB of internal storage.

The display is also average. It is 10.1 inches in size with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels. Unfortunately, you cannot stream in HD on the Android Netflix app. This is only possible in the Chrome browser.

The battery life could be better as well. In our test, the device reached 5.5 to 6 hours at full brightness while playing a YouTube HD video in a loop.

Students who mainly want to do writing tasks with their tablet and are looking for a good device with a keyboard at an affordable price make a solid choice with the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook, also thanks to the desktop Chrome extensions.

Also Read: Lenovo Duet 3 Chromebook Review

iPad 10: Powerful Tablet for School

If top performance is your top priority, we recommend the iPad 10. It supports the Apple Pencil 1, which is useful for quick notes and drawing, and a keyboard cover.

The stylus and the cover are of high quality. However, it’s a bit annoying that you need an adapter for the iPad 10. The device itself has a USB-C port, while the Apple Pencil 1 has only a Lightning port. It would have been more elegant if the iPad 10 were directly compatible with the Apple Pencil 2. However, this is not a big issue, as the pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition work equally well with both styluses. With the Apple Pencil 1, you have to forgo the tip function and wireless charging.

According to Geekbench 5 test results, the iPad 10 even outperforms the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series in terms of performance. So, students who want to use demanding apps like Adobe Photoshop or play graphics-intensive games get a lot of performance for relatively little money with this tablet.

However, the design of the iPad 10 no longer looks up to date: the thick display bezels are not very stylish. Additionally, the screen is not laminated. When writing with the Apple Pencil, it creates the feeling that you’re not really touching the display. In everyday use, though, this is not a big deal and hardly noticeable.

On the plus side, alongside the strong performance, are flawless craftsmanship and good cameras. The manufacturer offers the iPad 10 with 64GB and 256GB of internal storage. If you plan to install many apps, we recommend opting for the larger storage variant.

Also Read: Apple iPad 10 Review

Most Affordable Entry into the Apple Universe: Apple iPad 9

The older iPad 9 is even more budget-friendly and only slightly less powerful than the iPad 10. It remains stronger than the majority of Android tablets. Otherwise, the two devices differ little.

The iPad 9 has a Lightning port and not a USB-C port like the current version. This eliminates the need for an annoying adapter when charging the Apple Pencil.

The device runs the latest iPadOS software and is expected to receive updates for approximately seven years.

The display has a resolution of 1620 x 2160 pixels, 60Hz, and a peak brightness of 500 nits. Unfortunately, the iPad 9’s screen is also not laminated.

Thanks to the Apple A13 processor with 3GB of RAM and either 64GB or 256GB of internal storage, the iPad 9’s performance is superb. Apple also offers the iPad 9 in an LTE version. The device is even more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, making it suitable for demanding apps in a school setting.

The sound from the two speakers is good, although true stereo separation is not audible since the speakers are on the same side.

In our battery test, the iPad 9 only lasted six hours, playing an HD YouTube video in a loop at maximum brightness.

The reliable fingerprint scanner is also a cool feature.

Overall, the iPad 9 delivers excellent performance and a good overall package, making it an ideal companion for the school day.

Also Read: Apple iPad 9 Review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022: Solid All-Rounder for School

The tablet features a 10.4-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels, 60Hz, and is fully laminated. The screen is slightly darker than that of the iPad 9. Streaming Netflix and other services in HD is possible without restrictions.

The tablet boasts a chic, high-quality metal body. Running the latest version of Android 13, the tablet is expected to be kept up to date by Samsung for several years.

Inside, the device houses the reliable Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset with 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. There is also an LTE version available.

While the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 does not offer outstanding performance, most apps and games can be used without issues.

Multitasking and the Samsung DeX desktop mode run smoothly. Simultaneous use of YouTube, internet browser, and Word documents is possible without problems. However, if you open too many apps and DeX simultaneously, the performance noticeably decreases.

The sound quality from the two speakers is good and, for example, better than that of the Galaxy Tab A8.

Two keyboard covers are available for the tablet. They are comfortable to type on, although they do not feel very high-quality. The tablet also supports the excellent S Pen, ideal for drawing and writing.

In our battery test, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 achieved a runtime of 7.5 hours. For the test, we played an HD video at maximum brightness in a loop.

The tablet comes with Android 12 out of the box and is expected to receive at least two major version updates.

Overall, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 offers a solid display, sufficient performance, up-to-date software, and a high-quality look.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 Review

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i: Affordable Windows Tablet

Even a Windows tablet can be an excellent choice for the school day. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i costs around $400 and offers all the advantages of Microsoft’s operating system.

The screen has an aspect ratio of 16:10, a FullHD resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, and good brightness. It is also fully laminated.

We also liked the sound quality of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i in our test.

Also cool: The keyboard cover is included in the purchase. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable and allows for productive work.

The tablet looks stylish and is made of high-quality plastic. On the back, there is a metal folding stand that can be easily unfolded, providing stable support on the table. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i weighs 890g and is 9.9mm thin. It has two USB C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a MicroSD card slot, and a conventional headphone jack. Fancy features like facial recognition or a fingerprint scanner are not available, though.

The device is available in multiple configurations. There are versions with an Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core processor or an Intel Pentium N5030 quad-core chip, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB eMMC storage. There is also a version with LTE.

The cheapest version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i offers rather weak performance. It is not suitable for demanding applications. If you want to use computationally intensive apps frequently, you should choose a version of the tablet with a bit more equipment. Simple office programs run super on all versions, making you well-equipped for most scenarios in the school day.

Students who have a fondness for Windows and primarily want to use office apps make a good choice with the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i.

Also Read: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i Review