These Chromebooks for students offer efficiency and economy

Schools are planning to return to in-person learning this fall, but that doesn't mean your kids will stop doing much of their school work on a laptop. Many districts supply students with Chromebooks, but they are usually undersized and underpowered models. If you can afford it, you may want to invest in a larger, more powerful laptop for the upcoming school year.

The most affordable option is a Chromebook laptop. Not only do they cost hundreds less than a traditional laptop like a Windows machine or a MacBook, but they're also easier to use, thanks to the streamlined Chrome OS software. And you can find Chromebook models with displays larger than the tiny, 11-inch Chromebooks that school districts typically issue. The picks here all have larger, 12.2- to 15.6-inch displays.

Chromebooks run from less than $100 to more than $1,000, but you don't need to spend that much to get up and running for distance learning. Our favorite Chromebooks fall mostly in the $400 to $700 range. If you're looking to find the best Chromebook for students, this list should help.

WHAT Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5

THE COST $334.99 and up

AVAILABLE FROM lenovo.com

The highlight of this Lenovo two-in-one Chromebook is its 10th-generation Intel Core i3 CPU, which is common to many budget Windows laptops and has more than enough oomph to power the lightweight Chrome OS. The Flex 5 features a 13.3-inch touch screen display with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution. It offers pen support, but you'll need to buy a stylus separately.

WHAT Lenovo Chromebook C340

THE COST $247.49 and up

AVAILABLE FROM lenovo.com

This convertible Chromebook features an 11-inch touch screen that can rotate into tablet mode, and is powered by an eighth-generation Intel Core i3 CPU. It's an older Core i3 part than you get in the above Lenovo model, but more powerful than Intel Pentium and Celeron chips commonly found in Chromebooks. The C340 also offers 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of flash storage, both average for the price.

WHAT Samsung Chromebook Plus V2

THE COST $499.99

AVAILABLE FROM samsung.com

This Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 has a 12.2-inch display, but the touch screen display can rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode so you can play Android games — once homework is done, of course. The display boasts a sharp 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution and pen support for the included stylus. Inside, the system features an Intel Celeron processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of storage.