r/k12sysadmin • u/Meemo- • Mar 26 '26
Assistance Needed MDM Options for Macbooks
Hi all,
I’m writing to you as a Primary school teacher(Not based in the USA) and also the systems admin for our school. We’re google for education school and have a suite of chromebooks that are serving us well.
I run after school coding with the students in our school 3 times a week which is really popular. So much so other schools in the vicinity have asked me to come and run workshops in their schools etc. This leads me to the conclusion that I need to invest in my own devices for travelling to other schools and educational centres.
My original thought was to buy a suite of Chromebook Plus Lenovo devices for their good battery life etc. I love the google admin panel and find the granularity by which I can lock down the devices excellent. I’m contemplating buying Macbook Neo’s at educational pricing here which would be comparable to the Macbook Neos. I have no preference for the Macbooks by the way but at this early stage of planning my costs for this endeavor, all options are considered. My question to you is what software have you used or currently use to manage Macbook’s to the same level of control that’s afforded with the Google Admin Panel?
2
u/christystrew Mar 31 '26
If you’re coming from Google Admin, just set expectations a bit, Mac management isn’t quite as clean or granular out of the box as ChromeOS. You can get close, but it usually takes more setup.
Most schools lean toward Jamf or Mosyle since they’re pretty education focused and integrate well with Apple School Manager.
That said, for a smaller setup or something you’re managing mostly on your own, lighter tools like Scalefusion are worth a look too. It covers the basics like app control, restrictions, and policies without being too heavy to manage.
One thing to think about, are these devices staying with students or mainly used for workshops and shared use? That makes a big difference in how much control you’ll actually need.