Let’s say there are a dozen kids in the class. The library provided the monitors. How does the volunteer teacher get a dozen towers to and from the library? What do they do with a dozen towers in between classes? Would this be easier or harder with a dozen Pi 400s?
This is the real strength of the Pi 400 for this application: sure you could do it all cheaper with used office hardware, but it turns this "just works" intro class into a full advanced IT course (or a full-time IT job for the volunteer teacher).