Windows: Microsoft abandons school version

“Microsoft Windows 11 SE is a good choice for customers in the education sector who are looking for cost-effective devices,” says the provider. However, Microsoft will discontinue support as of October 2026; Google and Apple can rejoice. “Support for Windows 11 SE – including software updates, technical support, and security fixes – will end in October 2026,” Microsoft announced. There have been no more functional enhancements since version 24H2.

Windows 11 SE will have been a Windows version that was developed especially for schools with computers in the lower price segment, i.e., it has to work with less powerful hardware. It comes with a pre-installed Office package, although additional costs are incurred for its use. Classic Windows software (Win32) and applications from the Microsoft Store (UWP) do not work with Windows 11 SE, apart from a hand-picked few programs. Microsoft refers SE users to web apps and progressive web apps.

Wanted: Inexpensive devices with good overall management

As there are supposed to be children who are not very careful with their laptops, it must not be too expensive to replace a device. In addition, many schools would like to restrict which programs students can use and which content or services they can access. At the same time, schools do not have the budgets of large corporations that can afford traditional fleet management systems.

Google recognized this early on and launched ChromeOS/ChromiumOS in 2011, a Linux-based operating system trimmed for efficiency. Storage space was initially limited because Google relied on online services and web apps for ChromeOS, including Google Docs Editors, which has been available free of charge since 2006. ChromeOS is considered to be particularly secure, and management systems make it easier to manage large fleets at a manageable cost. This combination is particularly attractive for schools. In affluent countries, Apple can also succeed with tablets running iPadOS.

In the third quarter of 2015, ChromeOS achieved a 51% market share in the US school system for the first time. At the time, Apple and Windows shared the rest in roughly equal measure. Microsoft responded by having a management system programmed for school classroom laptops and launching less resource-hungry Windows versions for schools: first Windows 10 Education and then Windows 11 SE.

Windows lags in schools

The success is endless. ChromeOS dominates the US school system with a market share of almost two-thirds. According to Indian market researcher Global Growth Insights, 52 percent of all computer purchases by educational institutions worldwide are Chromebooks, i.e., laptops that run ChromeOS, and the trend is rising. Chromebooks have achieved a 31% market share among German companies and 37% in the overall German market, again thanks to their high market share in the school system.

In Japan, ChromeOS has grown to 60 percent, Apple's iPadOS can hold its own with 31 percent, while Windows has fallen to ten percent. This is shown by a recent survey result. However, the future of the ChromeOS operating system is unclear, as Google wants to merge ChromeOS with Android.

Microsoft is now abandoning the separate Windows version for the education sector. General support for Windows 10 is already coming to an end this October, with a one-year grace period for Windows 11 SE. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft recommends the use of other devices with Windows 11, but often the old computer can continue to run for years with ChromeOS Flex or a full Linux distribution, at least outside the strict regimes of school administrators.

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