A significant portion of high school students are unaware that they can keep their Chromebooks after graduation, even as we near the end of the school year. 

Since 2021, Tualatin High School has been giving graduating seniors the option to either keep their Chromebooks, or to return them to the school for repurposing. Seniors and staff say not much has been done to inform students about this option until very recently. 

“Not many kids know they can keep their Chromebooks and have them updated when they graduate,” explained technology help desk technician Josh Bern. “It’s just a matter of getting the information out there.”

Bern emphasized that slideshows and posters are currently being made to ensure seniors know everything about this process before summer. 

“I think it will really help seniors because they’ll have access to a tool which they can use in the future for things like college, work and entertainment,” Bern said. “It’s something you can use every day, and right now not having a way to go digital is a hindrance.”

As of last year, Tualatin has been able to give out Chromebooks because of something called depreciation, the loss in value of an asset over time. The Chromebooks juniors and seniors are using, the NL6s, have been around just long enough that the school can begin to give them away at no cost to the student.  

Of course, students can choose not to keep the Chromebooks, in which case the district will repurpose them as loaners for future students. 

As for freshmen, sophomores and juniors, they also have the option to update their Chromebooks before summer. This can significantly increase their performance, especially if they haven’t been updated in a year or two.

If you are a senior and would like to keep your Chromebook, remember to bring it to Josh Bern at the IT Help Desk in the library after you have finished all of your classes for updating, cleaning and unenrollment.