Overview

• The devices come with built-in T-Mobile LTE or 5G service through a partnership with T-Mobile and Dell, allowing use without home Wi-Fi.
• Distribution will span roughly 1,700 public schools during 2025–26, with officials pledging to complete the rollout by the end of the school year.
• Students may take the Chromebooks home and keep them until they graduate, replacing outdated equipment that no longer meets instructional or security standards.
• Priority goes first to schools with devices older than five years or insufficient coverage, then to students in temporary housing, high-poverty schools, new schools, and approved appeals.
• City Hall estimates $129 million in capital costs and $198 million in operating expenses over four years, partly funded by savings from an earlier T-Mobile carrier deal, and the effort follows the new bell-to-bell cellphone ban.