School Security Cameras for K-12 Districts
Camera coverage for halls, entries, lots, and commons — at US list prices from the June 2026 pricebook, with a worked 16-camera elementary school budget. HTS is a Verkada Diamond Plus partner working with schools across PA, NJ, and DE.
The short answer
Districts replace recorders-in-a-closet with cameras that store footage on the device and manage from one dashboard. There are two costs: the hardware, paid once, and a license per camera, paid per term. A 16-camera elementary school — halls, entries, the lot, and the commons — runs $34,128 at US list for hardware and 3-year licenses. Nothing runs in a server closet: no NVR to buy, no drives to swap, no summer emergency when a recorder fails a week before staff return. Request a quote for your buildings.
We do this work in this region. Recent K-12 projects in our workstream include a public school district in Chester County, a career and technical school in Bucks County, a Quaker school, and districts in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Where cameras go in a school building
- Entries and main office. An indoor dome at each controlled entry (CD52-256, $1,199 at list) covers who is coming in and the visitor sign-in line.
- Hallways and stairwells. Fixed domes (CD42-256, $999) down main corridors and stairwells, aimed for faces at the doors rather than tops of heads.
- Parking and bus loops. Outdoor bullets (CB52-256E, $1,899) on the lot and the bus pickup line, where lighting is poor and incidents cluster at dismissal.
- Cafeteria, gym, commons. A fisheye (CF81-30E, $1,999) covers a wide open floor with one device and no blind center.
- Building corners and courtyards. A multisensor (CH52-1TBE, $4,099) covers four directions from one housing and one cable pull.
What a 16-camera elementary school costs
A worked example at list prices, for one building: ten indoor domes across halls and entries, four outdoor bullets on the lot and loop, two fisheyes over the cafeteria and gym, all on 3-year licenses.
| Line item | Quantity | Unit (list) | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD52-256 indoor dome | 10 | $1,199 | $11,990 |
| CB52-256E outdoor bullet | 4 | $1,899 | $7,596 |
| CF81-30E fisheye | 2 | $1,999 | $3,998 |
| 3-year camera license | 16 | $659 | $10,544 |
| Hardware + licenses, 3 years | $34,128 |
About $2,133 per camera position over three years, at list, before tax and shipping. Installation is quoted per building — it depends on cable runs, ceiling type, and how many floors the cameras span.
Camera hardware at list price
The models schools use most:
| Model | What it is | List price |
|---|---|---|
| CD42-256 | Indoor dome, 5MP, fixed lens, 256GB onboard | $999 |
| CD52-256 | Indoor dome, 5MP, zoom lens, 256GB onboard | $1,199 |
| CD42-256E | Outdoor dome, 5MP, fixed lens, 256GB onboard | $1,199 |
| CB52-256E | Outdoor bullet, 5MP, zoom lens, 256GB onboard | $1,899 |
| CF81-30E | Outdoor fisheye, 12MP, 512GB onboard | $1,999 |
| CH52-1TBE | Outdoor multisensor, 4 × 5MP sensors, 1TB onboard | $4,099 |
| CP52-512E | Outdoor PTZ, 5MP, 512GB onboard | $4,299 |
Source: Verkada Reseller US Pricebook (Diamond Plus partners), effective June 5, 2026.
Licenses: the recurring cost
Every camera needs an active license: $249 per camera per year at list on a 1-year term, or $659 for three years (about $220 a year). Optional 30-day cloud backup storage is $149 per camera per year at list. Schools we work with tend to buy 3- to 10-year terms, matching capital and bond cycles.
| License | 1-year term | 3-year term | 5-year term | 10-year term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | $249 / camera / yr | $659 (3 yrs) | $1,099 (5 yrs) | $2,199 (10 yrs) |
| 30-day cloud storage add-on | $149 / camera / yr | $449 | $749 | $1,499 |
| Multisensor (4-sensor) | — | $1,949 (3 yrs) | — | — |
Per device unless noted. Source: Verkada Reseller US Pricebook (Diamond Plus partners), effective June 5, 2026.
What districts ask before they sign
“We already have cameras.” Keep what works. Cameras that still record stay in place; the NVR-dependent ones get replaced building by building, and one quote covers both.
“How long does an install take?” Install is scheduled around the school calendar. A single-building project is a summer-break job; multi-building districts phase across summers. Your quote includes the schedule.
“Where does the footage live?” On the camera itself — a 256GB model holds up to 30 days of footage locally, and bigger onboard storage holds more. Optional 30-day cloud backup is $149 per camera per year at list. No district server, no recorder closet.
“Who can watch it?” Access is set per user, by role — building principals, IT, and school resource officers can be scoped to what they each need to see.
Pair cameras with access control
Cameras are half of a school entry plan. Door controllers ($899–$5,999 at list depending on door count, plus $249 per door per year) schedule locks, track entries, and lock down a building from the same dashboard. See access control installation for what that project involves.
Buy or browse the hardware
The same SKUs from this page are in the HTS store — browse families, check stock, and request a quote from the product page.
Where to go next
Full pricebook tables are on our Verkada pricing page. For the wider project, see security camera installation and commercial security system installation. The K-12 cameras and access control guide on the HTS blog goes deeper on building areas.