Maclay School will provide school-owned laptops for all students in grades 4 through 6, so families in these grades will not need to purchase a laptop or iPad. This shift supports focused learning at a key developmental stage by reducing distractions, strengthening typing, writing, and productivity skills, and ensuring all students use the same tools in a consistent, well-supported environment. Guided by teacher feedback and current research on children, technology, and well-being, Maclay is taking a thoughtful approach that adds structure and clear boundaries, using technology as a purposeful learning tool rather than a social platform as students prepare for the transition to Middle School and beyond.

Beginning in 7th grade, students are required to have a laptop computer to use at school. For those who will be purchasing a new device, Maclay School is standardized on the Windows PC platform. The school purchases Dell laptops and desktops for faculty and campus computers; therefore, many of our support services are designed best for Dell products. Even though we are allowing any computer that meets the minimum requirements below, from the school’s experience, and for ease of use and general support with the Maclay community, we recommend a Dell Laptop or 2-in1 laptop running Windows 11.

Chromebooks or iPads will not meet the requirements for the student’s primary school device. Those students with existing iPads can benefit by using them as an additional device and e-reader. The warranty, service, and repair are not the responsibility of the school. Batteries that are several years old do not last as long as new ones on a charge. There will be limited access to power/charging during the school day. You do not need to purchase Microsoft Office. The full Office Professional suite is provided at no cost to each student through the school.

Generally speaking, due to a decrease in battery life, memory, and processor performance, it is recommended not to use a laptop more than two years old to start with. Computers over three years old tend to lack performance and have a higher incidence of hardware failure.

Other Recommendations: A neoprene laptop sleeve (or other lightweight protective case), a touchscreen, a digital pen for touchscreen digital ink, and a 3-year warranty will cover a good portion of the laptop's life. It is highly recommended to purchase accidental protection; the additional cost is well worth it with even just one incident of damage. 

Click here to download specifications for the laptop