There is no reliable published benchmark for how much international schools spend on digital learning per student. Government surveys don’t report one, and commercial figures vary by definition. Schools should calculate their own cost per active student, per platform, and compare it with the outcome each platform is meant to deliver. Unused licences are the biggest waste.
Is there a benchmark for EdTech spend per student?
Not one we could verify. The most detailed recent government survey, the DfE’s Technology in schools survey 2024 to 2025, covered “1,634 individual schools” in England. It reports barriers and use, not spend per pupil (DfE). We found no published per-student figure for international schools. Any number quoted without a named survey and definition should be treated with caution. Definitions vary: some include devices and networks, others only software licences.
What does the data show about spending?
That cost is the top barrier, and much spending is wasted.
| Source | Finding |
|---|---|
| DfE Technology in schools 2024–25 (England) | “Budgetary constraints (95% of leaders …) and the high cost of technology (93% of leaders …)” were the top barriers |
| DfE, a school leader quoted | ”Co-pilot, for example, is £35 per user per month … across everyone you’re talking hundreds of thousands” |
| UNESCO GEM Report 2023 | ”Around two-thirds of education software licences were unused in the United States” |
| UNESCO GEM Report 2023 | ”Technology is often bought to plug a gap, with no view to the long-term costs” |
| UNESCO GEM Report 2023 | ”Education technology products change every 36 months, on average” |
Sources: DfE; UNESCO GEM Report 2023 summary.
Evidence is thin too. UNESCO found “7% of education technology companies had conducted randomized controlled trials” in the UK. A US survey found “only 11% requested peer-reviewed evidence prior to adoption”.
How should a school calculate its own spend per student?
Start with an inventory, then divide by students who actually use each tool:
| Step | What to record |
|---|---|
| 1. List every paid tool | Licences, subscriptions, add-ons; renewal dates |
| 2. Record annual cost | Including onboarding, training and integration |
| 3. Count licensed students | Seats paid for |
| 4. Count active students | Students using it weekly (or at your agreed threshold) |
| 5. Calculate cost per active student | Annual cost ÷ active students |
| 6. Match to an outcome | The problem the tool was bought to solve |
Worked example, with hypothetical numbers: a platform costing 10,000 a year for 400 licensed students is 25 per licensed student. If only 150 use it weekly, it is about 67 per active student, nearly three times the headline price. That second number is the one to budget against.
Where is money most often wasted?
In the gap between licensed and active users. UNESCO’s US finding that two-thirds of licences went unused is the extreme case. Common patterns, in our view:
- Overlapping tools doing the same job in different departments.
- Whole-school licences for tools one department uses.
- Auto-renewals that nobody reviews.
- No adoption plan, so use collapses after the launch. See keeping students on a platform after week two.
How should a school budget for digital learning?
Budget by outcome, not by category. Our method:
- Name the problems technology is meant to solve, such as practice volume, marking time or gap-finding.
- Fund one tool per problem, and remove overlaps.
- Pilot before scaling, with success criteria. See the 30-day EdTech pilot.
- Review cost per active student each term, not only at renewal.
- Include hidden costs: training time, integration and devices.
- Plan for change, since UNESCO notes products change every 36 months on average.
For measuring return, see EdTech ROI: calculating cost per student and impact. For the true cost of unused tools, see the hidden cost of underutilised EdTech.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
AI Buddy publishes its per-student pricing on its For Schools page, and its School Plan “combines teacher and student licenses with volume-based discounts”. Teacher dashboards show which students are active each week, so schools can calculate cost per active student from their own data. The 30-day free pilot lets a school measure adoption before committing.
Frequently asked questions
How much do schools spend on EdTech per student?
There is no reliable published benchmark for international schools. The DfE’s 2024–25 survey of 1,634 schools in England does not report a per-pupil spend. Schools should calculate their own cost per active student.
How do you calculate EdTech cost per student?
Divide each tool’s annual cost, including training and onboarding, by the number of students who actually use it weekly, not the number of licences.
How much school software goes unused?
UNESCO’s 2023 GEM Report found that around two-thirds of education software licences in the United States were unused.
What is the biggest barrier to school technology?
Cost. In the DfE’s 2024–25 survey, 95% of school leaders cited budgetary constraints and 93% the high cost of technology.
Discover how AI Buddy helps schools strengthen teaching, learning and evidence-informed school improvement. Or start a short consultation with our schools team using the form below — we will get back to you directly.
Sources
- Department for Education, Technology in schools survey 2024 to 2025 (November 2025)
- UNESCO, Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 summary: Technology in education
- Tutopiya, AI Buddy for schools