Best School Calculators for Students

Best School Calculator Buying Guide

A good school calculator should be simple to use, durable, accurate, and suitable for the student's grade level. Elementary students usually need a basic calculator for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and simple homework. Middle school students often need a fraction or scientific calculator. High school and college students may need a scientific or graphing calculator depending on algebra, geometry, statistics, calculus, science, or exam requirements.

Which Calculator Should Students Buy?

For general school use, a scientific calculator is usually the best value because it supports fractions, exponents, roots, trigonometry, statistics, and other common math functions. For advanced math, STEM, SAT, ACT, AP, and college courses, a graphing calculator may be required. For younger students, a basic handheld calculator with a large display and easy buttons can be enough.

Important Features to Check

• Grade level: Choose basic calculators for elementary school, scientific calculators for middle and high school, and graphing calculators for advanced classes.
• Display: A large, clear display helps students read numbers and formulas easily.
• Power: Solar, battery, or dual power calculators are reliable for daily school use.
• Exam rules: For SAT, ACT, AP, and school exams, confirm that the calculator model is allowed.
• Budget: Many strong school calculators are available under $20, while graphing calculators usually cost more.

Best Uses

School calculators are useful for homework, classroom practice, quizzes, exams, algebra, statistics, science, engineering basics, financial math, and college preparation. As-Mart lists different calculator options so shoppers can compare price, rating, brand, and features before buying online.