* Funding and Resources: Schools, particularly universities and colleges, were early adopters of large, expensive computers. These institutions had the funding and resources (both technical and personnel) necessary to purchase, install, and maintain the equipment and associated infrastructure for a network. Home computers, at the time, were extremely expensive and impractical for most households.
* Research and Development: Universities played a crucial role in the development of networking technologies like ARPANET (a precursor to the internet). These networks were initially designed to facilitate research collaboration between different institutions and researchers. Schools provided the ideal environment for testing and refining these new technologies.
* Shared Resources: Networking allowed multiple users to share expensive resources like mainframe computers and printers, making them more cost-effective for educational institutions. This was a significant advantage in a time before powerful and affordable personal computers were available.
* Educational Purposes: Networks offered new educational possibilities, enabling students to access information and collaborate on projects in ways never before imagined. This presented a compelling reason for educational institutions to invest in this emerging technology.
In short, the early adoption of networks in schools wasn't a conscious choice to prioritize schools over homes, but rather a consequence of the technological limitations, funding availability, and the inherent suitability of educational institutions as testbeds for this new technology. Home networking only became widespread much later, after the cost of computers and networking equipment dramatically decreased and personal computers became ubiquitous.