Lakeland School District, based in northeast Indiana, serves around 1,500 K–12 students and 200 staff across nine locations. With more than 3,000 daily device connections and a growing reliance on digital learning, the district needed a network infrastructure that could support modern education while remaining cost-effective, scalable, and simple to manage.
From classroom WiFi and switching to camera security and door access, Lakeland School District standardised on UniFi to unify its network and security systems under one license-free ecosystem.
As a public school district, Lakeland needed to balance performance, reliability, and long-term scalability against strict budget constraints. With a 1:1 learning initiative placing a device in every student’s hands, the network had to support high-density classroom environments, video streaming, wireless casting, and growing IoT requirements across multiple sites.
The district also wanted to avoid the recurring licensing costs often associated with traditional enterprise networking, camera, and access control platforms. With limited IT resource, any solution also had to be easy to deploy, simple to manage, and flexible enough to support future upgrades without requiring a full network overhaul.
Lakeland School District standardised its network, camera security, and door access systems on UniFi, bringing key infrastructure into one centrally managed, license-free platform.
The deployment includes UniFi gateways, switching, access points, Protect cameras, and Door Access. Together, these support reliable classroom WiFi, simplified multi-site management, improved visibility across the estate, and easier control of physical access.
By using UniFi across multiple areas of the district, Lakeland reduced platform complexity while creating a network that can be upgraded and expanded gradually as demand grows.
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Lower total cost: Lakeland reduced hardware costs and removed recurring licensing fees, freeing up budget for wider infrastructure improvements.
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Simpler management: The IT team can manage networking, cameras, and door access from a single UniFi interface.
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Reliable classroom connectivity: High-density WiFi supports everyday digital learning, including 1:1 devices, streaming, and wireless casting.
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Scalable infrastructure: The district can expand camera coverage, upgrade wireless performance, and add new sites or devices without a full system redesign.
“We see how quickly classroom demands shift – from laptops to streaming to more IoT. UniFi’s cost structure and flexible upgrades let us stay ahead.”
– IT Director, Lakeland School District.
Explore the full case study
Read the full Ubiquiti case study to see how Lakeland School District deployed UniFi across its network, security, and access control systems.