Lexington District 1 rolled out 18,376 new personal mobile computing devices this year.

High school students received 8,117 MacBook Airs at $834.93 each.

Middle schoolers received 7,449 Chromebooks at $394.83 each.

District 1 spokesperson Mary Beth Hill said the district updates student devices every 5 years.

The district has spent $21,765,495 on technology over 5 years.

Each school received one cart of 30 iPads per grade level, a total of 2,810 devices.

The district replaced teachers’ devices with Mac-Book Airs.

District officials cited a need for technology to meet curriculum requirements.

“Our approach did not initially focus on a device, but rather the academic expectations we have for students,” said Director of Instructional Technology Howard Bissell.

“We heard that students needed to create media so we included a camera and internal microphone.”

District officials had students test devices before making a decision.

Bissell says Chromebooks offer necessary features such as a full keyboard and ease of use for middle schoolers.

MacBook Airs can run advanced programs required by high school-level courses.

Hill said the devices give students access to:

• The most current information available through the internet.

• The district’s Learning Management System 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Students electronically complete and turn in assignments, homework, projects or research.

Interactive applications help them improve their reading fluency, build mathematics skills or create their own study cards.

Students are responsible for lost or damaged devices.

Parents may buy a non-refundable protection plan for $40 each school year. The plan covers parts and repairs related to a single incident. Additional repairs will cost up to $100.

To replace a lost device, students and parents will pay $780 for a high school device and $350 for a middle school device.