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How bright a projector do I need?

For a typical classroom, you need at least 2000 lumens.
For a sunny classroom you need at least 2500 lumens.
For larger screens, a minimum 3000 lumens is recommended. For halls and assembly areas we recommend the brightest available for your budget.
For use with electronic whiteboards we recommend a low brightness projector (around 2000 lumens) be used and that the projector is set to 'eco' or 'low lamp' mode to reduce the potential for eyestrain to the user. Edit

What does 'Lumens' mean?

'Lumens' is a unit of measurement for brightness. The higher the number, the brighter the projector. Edit

What else do I need to know about brightness?

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Not all brightness specifications are equal.

In our testing, projectors designed for classroom use that use LCD technology produce significantly brighter colours than those that use DLP technology, even where a DLP and an LCD projector may have the same advertised brightness. This is noticeable in particular for bright and pastel colours. Edit

Lamps can fade with age

Although not generally noticeable over time, as a projector lamp ages the projector projects a progressively dimmer image. Projectors that have a longer specified lamp life generally maintain a brighter image for a longer period of time. Schools may wish to consider a slightly brighter projector than their minimum requirements because of this. Edit

Many projectors have a dimmer 'eco' setting

To extend your projector's lamp life, many projectors offer an economy setting, generally this lowers the brightness of the image projected to around 80% of the full advertised brightness specification. This may extend the life of the projector lamp by as much as 1000 hours, depending on model. Edit

How does brightness relate to screen size?

If you have a projector that is turned on and directed at a screen you may notice the image projected becomes larger and dimmer if you move the projector back away from the screen.
A projector that is set up to project an image measuring 1 metre diagonally will be four times brighter than when it is set up to project an image that measures 2 metres diagonally.
This is because the area of the 2 metre screen is four times greater than the area of a 1 metre screen - there is four times more area to illuminate.