PiperEDU also comes at a discount. Whereas a normal Piper kit costs $300, PiperEDU will cost $250 when a school buys four units. If that price is too steep, teachers have the option to rent Piper kits on a monthly basis—two for $100 per month—and apply the money paid in rental fees to an eventual purchase.
Source: Piper Raises $2.1 Million to Teach Kids to Code Through Minecraft | EdSurge News
The kits seem pretty expensive (they have approximately $100-$150 dollars worth of components), but the support would be worth it.
A competitor (although with Pico-8 instead of Minecraft) will be the PocketCHIP, once it starts shipping in quantity.
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and join your fellow educators on the Eduk8me email list!