I would like to point out that a tough laptop in a school is actually a great thing to have, my Latitude E6400 took a good deal of damage at a high school level, from things such as being knocked off a table, cord got tripped on, etc. My school requires you to have a laptop, and a lot have damage just from the fact that they're taken everywhere every day. Taking care of it yourself is one thing, having it around others is another.
Personally I can vouch for don't get any of the cheap consumer crap. A $300 Toshiba or HP or whatnot won't last you two years if you take it everywhere, I've seen a lot with broken screen hinges as they broke out of the plastic casing.
On a better note, the business-grade or higher end laptops last a bit longer when around people. No one has invested in a Toughbook yet, but the Thinkpads, Latitudes and Macbooks all seem to stay in one piece longer.
