Out of nearly 30,000 iPads purchased for its students, the Sweetwater Union High School District said only 2 percent of those were unaccounted for.
"We can account for 98 percent of them physically. We are pretty proud of that," district spokesperson Manny Rubio told NBC 7.
The district bought the iPads back in 2012 as part of its one-to-one initiative to give more students hands-on experience with technology in the classroom.
Since then, there have been reports that thousands of those iPads were missing. But Rubio said the district sold nearly 9,000 of the iPads to pay for newer models.
"As we started taking things out of the system, we started backfilling with newer devices," Rubio said.
He said the district's inventory proves that only a little more than 700 iPads were unaccounted for; they were either lost, stolen or taken out of inventory.
But for many parents in the South Bay, the primary concern has been where the money is coming from and whether it was being used effectively.
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"These are devices already paid for, bought or leased. More cost-effective lease program," Rubio said.
Students are also required to pay for their damaged or lost iPads.
Rubio said the district plans to purchase iPads for their 10th and 11th graders next year.
