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Mobile STEM lab service or a district-owned trailer?
Last reviewed: October 2026
The short answer. A mobile lab service like Betabox brings a staffed lab, equipment, and curriculum to your schools, with no design or hiring work. A district-owned trailer gives you a permanent asset, but your district takes on the design, equipment, staff, maintenance, and scheduling. A district can also do both.
Side by side
| Mobile lab service (Betabox) | District-owned trailer | |
|---|---|---|
| Startup work | Book days from a Blueprint | Design the trailer, buy equipment, and hire or assign staff |
| Who runs sessions | Betabox Guides | District staff |
| Curriculum | Topics with versions for elementary, middle, and high school, tied to standards | Built or bought by the district |
| Reach | Up to 125 students a day per lab | Depends on trailer size and staff |
| Career follow-up | CareerStack™, included with district-funded trips | Separate tools, if any |
| Funding | Budget, Perkins V and Title funds, grants, and partners, with a funding strategist | Usually a large grant or capital budget |
A real example: Iredell-Statesville Schools
Iredell-Statesville Schools runs more than 25 schools in Iredell County, North Carolina. When the district set out to build its own STEM trailer, there was no working model to copy. The district's STEM Coordinator studied Betabox's onsite lab visits, joined the Betabox Educator Advisory Board, and designed a district-owned trailer that cost the district $0 to launch. A state grant of nearly $300,000 paid for the equipment. The trailer is set to reach more than 2,000 students a year, every 7th grader in the district. Read the full case study.
Questions to decide
- Do you have staff who can run sessions every school day?
- Do you have funding for equipment and ongoing upkeep?
- Do you need to reach students this year, or can you wait for a build?
- How will students connect the day to careers afterward?
CareerStack™ is included with district-funded Onsite Field Trips. See how schools pay, the buyer's guide, or book a district call. District leaders can also start on the districts page.
A Betabox service is the best fit
- When you want to reach students soon, do not want to hire or train lab staff, and want career follow-up included.
A district-owned trailer may fit better
- When you have a large equipment grant, staff to run it all year, and the time to design it. Betabox can still be your model, as it was for Iredell-Statesville Schools.
Questions about a lab service or a district trailer
- Is it cheaper to build our own STEM trailer?
- It depends on your funding and staff. A trailer needs equipment, staff, and upkeep. Iredell-Statesville Schools launched at $0 cost to the district because a state grant of nearly $300,000 paid for the equipment.
- How long does it take to start with Betabox?
- You start by building a Blueprint with the schools, days, and dates you want. Funded days go on your calendar. There is no build or hiring step.
- Who runs the sessions in a Betabox lab?
- Betabox Guides run every session and bring all equipment and materials.
- Can we use Betabox while we build our own trailer?
- Yes. Iredell-Statesville Schools studied Betabox's onsite lab visits and joined its Educator Advisory Board while designing its own trailer.
- Does CareerStack™ work with a district trailer?
- CareerStack™ is included when a district budget funds at least one Onsite Field Trip day from its Blueprint. The whole district then gets full access.