Case Study: El Capitan High School achieves a textbook-free, student-centric learning environment with Samsung Chromebooks

Samsung Chromebooks Help New High School Realize Its Vision for Student-Centric Learning

El Capitan High School in Merced, CA, opened in 2013/14 with a goal to create a student-centric, textbook-free learning environment for a diverse, largely low-income community. Facing tight budgets and limited IT staff, the school needed an affordable, easy-to-manage one-to-one device that booted quickly and gave students access to web-based learning resources; they selected Samsung Chromebooks as the standard school-issued computer.

Samsung provided cloud-based Chromebooks managed centrally via a web console and integrated into El Capitan’s BYOD program; within weeks nearly 95% of students opted to check them out. The rollout helped eliminate printed textbooks, simplified IT management, and drove measurable gains: enrollment climbed from an expected 650 to 765 students, first‑term attendance topped 96%, teachers report higher engagement, and the district saw fewer failing grades and an increase in students with a 3.0+ GPA after the first nine weeks.

El Capitan High School

Anthony Johnson

Principal