350K NYC Students Will Receive Free, Brand-New Laptops This School Year: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — The city has announced on Monday that 350,000 K-12 public schools students will receive new internet-enabled devices for free during the 2025-2026 school year.

Mayor Eric Adams made the announcement along with school leaders, T-Mobile and Dell officials as well as New York Yankees All Star Second Baseman, Jazz Chisholm, Jr.

The 350,000 students will receive LTE or 5G connected Chromebooks with internet access and optimized educational programming to ensure they have the essential tools necessary to succeed in today’s digital learning environment.

The distribution of these Chromebooks was made possible by the Adams administration after the city came to an agreement with T-Mobile earlier this year to make them a major wireless carrier to support city operations while helping reduce the cost of wireless services for city government employees.

“Access to reliable technology and high-speed internet is a modern-day necessity, and, right now, too many New York City students don’t have it. That doesn’t just prevent progress inside the classroom, it limits opportunities outside of it — but our administration is changing that and providing our young people with free devices to stay connected in the 21st century,” Adams said. “We know that too many families are still struggling with the cost of living and cannot always afford new, internet-enabled devices.”

The rollout of 350,000 devices over the coming months will focus on meeting the needs of students who require keyboard-equipped devices for academic instruction and assessments. Regular device usage will prepare students with 21st-century skills, including typing, online research, and responsible internet use, officials said.

This will be particularly important for students in temporary housing or those living in under-connected communities, where home access to a computer may be limited. An estimated 31 percent of Bronx households — the highest of any borough — lack access to a household computer, according to a recent report by the Center for an Urban Future.

"As our students graduate into an increasingly connected and tech driven world and workplace, New York City Public Schools is proud to be taking steps to close the digital divide and set our children up for lifelong success,” Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos said.

All Chromebooks will be configured and enrolled using Google Management Console, which applies New York City Public Schools enterprise settings to ensure secure, standardized access across all devices. Key applications preloaded on devices will include:

• Google Workspace for Education: Features widely used programs across New York City Public Schools for instruction, assignments, collaboration, and communication.
• TeachHub: New York City Public Schools’ secure, single sign-on portal for students, teachers, and staff — providing centralized access to digital learning applications, instructional resources, announcements, and integrated tools like Google Classroom, Clever, and iLearnNYC.
• iLearnNYC: Provides access to digital curriculum materials, personalized learning platforms, and New York City Public Schools-approved content aligned to standards.

“Education is the foundation for everything, and making sure kids have the tools they need to learn and dream big is something I care deeply about,” Chisholm Jr., said. “That’s why I’ve been involved in efforts to uplift youth through sports and education through my foundation, the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, and it’s why I’m proud to see programs like this bringing real opportunities to students right here in the Bronx. When our kids win in the classroom, the whole community wins.”