The New School Year IT Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before Day One

Device Management

The first week of school sets the tone for the entire year. When technology fails on day one, devices that will not connect, accounts that do not work, displays that go dark, teachers lose confidence and valuable instruction time evaporates. This checklist covers everything your IT team should verify before students walk through the door.

Network and Infrastructure

• Test wireless coverage in every classroom (4 weeks out)
  Walk every room with a device and verify signal strength. Identify dead zones before students find them.
• Verify internet bandwidth for peak load (4 weeks out)
  Simulate peak usage, every device streaming simultaneously. Contact your ISP if you need a bandwidth upgrade before school starts.
• Confirm all switches and access points are online (2 weeks out)
  Check your network management console. Every offline AP means a room without reliable Wi-Fi.
• Test server backups and verify recovery (2 weeks out)
  Do a test restore from your most recent backup. A backup you cannot restore from is not a backup.
• Review firewall and content filtering rules (2 weeks out)
  Ensure filtering rules are updated for the new school year and all required educational sites are whitelisted.

Student Devices

• Image and configure all new devices (3 weeks out)
  New devices need MDM enrollment, software installation, and policy application. Budget 15–30 minutes per device, start early.
• Verify 1:1 device assignments and cart loading (1 week out)
  Every student device should be labeled, assigned, charged, and loaded into the correct cart in the correct room.
• Test student login on a sample of devices (1 week out)
  Have a student or staff member log in fresh, do not assume it works. Catch provisioning errors now, not day one.
• Inspect and repair damaged returned devices (3 weeks out)
  Assess every device returned from summer. Cracked screens, dead batteries, and missing keys do not fix themselves.

Accounts and Software

• Provision new student accounts (3 weeks out)
  New students need Windows, Google, Clever, and academic platform accounts before day one. This process takes time, start immediately after enrollment closes.
• Deprovision graduated or transferred student accounts (3 weeks out)
  Accounts for students who left create security risks and clutter. Disable or delete them before the new year begins.
• Verify all software licenses are current and sufficient (4 weeks out)
  Check seat counts against current enrollment. Add licenses if needed, approval processes can take 1–2 weeks.

Classrooms and AV

• Test every interactive display and projector (1 week out)
  Power on every display, check HDMI and wireless connections, test touchscreen calibration, and verify audio.
• Verify classroom speaker systems (1 week out)
  Play audio from teacher devices through classroom speakers. Report any silent rooms for repair.
• Test all VOIP phones and intercom (1 week out)
  Dial every classroom from the office. Check that overhead paging reaches every room.

Documentation and Staff Prep

• Update your network diagram and asset inventory (2 weeks out)
  Any changes made over summer, new APs, server upgrades, added devices, need to be documented before school starts.
• Send a "technology ready for school" communication to staff (3 days out)
  Brief email to all staff: what is new, what to do if something breaks, and direct contact for IT support on day one.