Case Study: School District 23 Central Okanagan achieves connected, mobile learning and 90% email cost reduction with Office 365

School District Extends Learning Beyond the Classroom with Online Productivity Tools

School District 23 in Kelowna, BC, serving more than 22,000 students across 42 schools, faced an aging on-premises email and collaboration system that was unstable, limited (80 MB inboxes), lacked mobile access, and discouraged use. IT needed a modern, easily managed platform to restore confidence, support connected learning, and reduce rising storage costs.

SD 23 implemented a hybrid Microsoft solution: Exchange Server 2010 and SharePoint on-premises for staff and Office 365 (Exchange Online, Lync Online, SharePoint) for students. Within months students began activating accounts (35% in under three months), mobile and collaborative workflows expanded, and the district cut email costs dramatically—saving about US$500,000 over five years and reducing per‑student email costs from ~$10 to ~$1.

School District 23 Central Okanagan

David Norrish

Learning Technology Manager