I have 2 iPads that I inherited. They are used 99% for watching videos. Expensive portable streaming TVs. My daughter practices typing and coding on her Chromebook. Paid $180 >2 years ago and it works perfectly.
If you really need a full-fledged Unix system (as I do), IMO it's best to run that on dedicated hardware and SSH in from a secure Chromebook. But I'm not sure what a student like the parent's daughter would gain from putting their Chromebook into developer mode, aside from a newfound susceptibility to malware.