A program to help families manage cost of living pressures has reached a significant milestone, with the 50,000th laptop handed over to a student.

The school laptop program has been bolstered to give more families access to free or discounted devices – ensuring greater equity and helping some save thousands of dollars on technology.

Families at any of the 406 public schools participating in the program, regardless of whether their children are eligible for a School Card, can now directly access discounts that were previously only available on devices purchased by schools.

Additionally, School Card students in Years 7 and 10 at participating high schools can access a free device – and primary school students can also benefit, with the department subsidising a quantity of devices up to one third of participating schools’ enrolment numbers.

This reflects the department’s commitment to ensure that, by end of 2026, all secondary students have access to their own device, and all primary schools have access to a device for every three students.

Salisbury East High School Principal Sue Shepherd said the program’s implementation has resulted in a shift in equity for students and families.

“With cost-of-living pressures continuing to rise, a growing number of families have told us how grateful they are to have access to a free or significantly discounted device – the money they save can go toward essential items at a time when every dollar counts”.

“Access to a reliable device is no longer dependent on a family’s financial position, and that has been genuinely life-changing for many in our community”.

“The program ensures that every student, regardless of circumstance, has the tools they need to learn, participate and succeed”.

“Equity is at the heart of what we do at Salisbury East, and this initiative has helped us remove a major barrier to learning for so many young people”, Ms Shepherd said.

The laptop program was launched in 2023 after the department found a significant number of students did not have fair access to electronics for school and home – since then, 80 per cent of the state’s public schools have opted in.