Cactus Music
All I ask for is a drum kit that sounds like a normal bar bands drum kit. Let get some duct tape on those heads eh! Forget the fancy pants 30 piece kit....

I have AD2 and Session Drummer 3 as well, but Strike 2 is great sounding & fun to play around with!  I ended up with it because it was included in the AIR instrument collection, which has been on sale lately.
 
Check this out!  From Groove3 > Main Window (Strike 2 Explained)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM81EudUC5I
 
In addition to the main window, it has a lot more details available in the kit window, mixer & effects window, and the pattern edit window.

Duct tape and split cymbals. 
 
But, back to the OP, that's cool that a school is teaching DAW basics at least. The only computer we had was an Altair 8800 kit build but we were glad to have it!

Ha ha,  and a pillow in the kick drum with a case of beer keeping it from moving ahead!!
 
Well I just started the download of Strike 2.0.7 It was $49 at Audio Deluxe, They had a terrible log in situation so I went to JR shop and got another couple of bucks knocked off to boot. It was only $42.00 at check out. This is looking good and I'll start a thread on what I think later. Download is 3.7 GB so must be a lot of samples included. 

Berklee College Of Music has an online learn-a-daw program and offers educational discounts on Sonar and Presonus One.  That program may be where the initial educational discount was formulated.  https://online.berklee.edu/deals

Cactus Music
Ha ha,  and a pillow in the kick drum with a case of beer keeping it from moving ahead!!
 
Well I just started the download of Strike 2.0.7 It was $49 at Audio Deluxe, They had a terrible log in situation so I went to JR shop and got another couple of bucks knocked off to boot. It was only $42.00 at check out. This is looking good and I'll start a thread on what I think later. Download is 3.7 GB so must be a lot of samples included. 

I really like how there are so many variations, fills, intros, etc., already mapped across the keyboard.  Just hold down a key, or hit latch (keeps playing pattern of last key pressed) and try to stop smiling!  I think if you select the "Garage Kit" and turn the complexity up to "11", you can hear the duct tape and pillows
 
I think that this will make a fine companion to Home Studio, to round out the rhythm section!

don't forget to have a look at fxpansions bfd echo, currently $99 so not as cheap as air
 
i own bfd, bfd2, bfd3 and all expansions,  toontracks ezdrummer2 with all expansions, toontracks superior drummer2 and all expansions, addictive drums 1 and 2 with all expansions, airs strike, xfer's nerve, beatskillz retrohits and probably a few others i can't recall plus truck loads of drum samples, the only thing i use is bfd3, to me it's just miles ahead of the rest. although bfd echo is a cut down version of bfd2, it still sound great and i believe you can expand with the purchase of expansions, and there are some great expansions available for fxpansion products, and at $99, perhaps less on sale, bfd echo is/would be a great buy. of course depending on what you want your mileage may vary
 
https://www.fxpansion.com/products/bfdeco/

The Grim
don't forget to have a look at fxpansions bfd echo, currently $99 so not as cheap as air
 
i own bfd, bfd2, bfd3 and all expansions,  toontracks ezdrummer2 with all expansions, toontracks superior drummer2 and all expansions, addictive drums 1 and 2 with all expansions, airs strike, xfer's nerve, beatskillz retrohits and probably a few others i can't recall plus truck loads of drum samples, the only thing i use is bfd3, to me it's just miles ahead of the rest. although bfd echo is a cut down version of bfd2, it still sound great and i believe you can expand with the purchase of expansions, and there are some great expansions available for fxpansion products, and at $99, perhaps less on sale, bfd echo is/would be a great buy. of course depending on what you want your mileage may vary
 
https://www.fxpansion.com/products/bfdeco/

Actually I think that Home Studio users would be better off just upgrading to the full AIR instrument collection, for less than the price of BFD, if all they wanted to do was round out their instruments, including drums and samplers, keyboards, synths, etc.  That would give them everything they could possibly need for now, compared to the basic included HS instruments.  Fact: It was the default plugin instrument bundle in Pro Tools for years, now available in VST format!
 
But this thread is actually about Home Studio, not the ultimate drum sampler.
 
I did not intend to hijack this thread and make it about drums, just commented as Cactus mentioned that as a Sonar user, he is very happy with the new HS now, except perhaps for the drums.  I just pointed out a very good, very cheap solution for his needs.  We probably need to start another thread about drums

I screwed up and there is actually 3 downloads, The 3.7 GB was # 1, #2 is 9 GB and I haven't made it to # 3!!! 
I get 80 GB a month and after my W10 install and updating Sonar I'm at 61GB so far. So I think I'll do this at work. 
 
This is not for just Home Studio, I'll use it with my main DAW too. I don't see how many installs your allowed but I hope for at least 2.  
 
I have yet to find the perfect drum kit. Session drummer was pretty good, but then AD2 made it sound flat. But AD is limited to the samples you buy, and there's very little variation on the snare sounds. I'm not parting with more cash for more samples from them. 
I do like to use my own snare drum samples. And I still use the TTS-1 Kick drum on most of my backing tracks.. It sits perfectly in the mix for live PA playback. 
So Home Studio with a good sounding drum kit is my immediate goal. What I heard in the demo clips this is looking optimistic. 
 
 

Cactus Music
I screwed up and there is actually 3 downloads, The 3.7 GB was # 1, #2 is 9 GB and I haven't made it to # 3!!! 
I get 80 GB a month and after my W10 install and updating Sonar I'm at 61GB so far. So I think I'll do this at work. 
 
This is not for just Home Studio, I'll use it with my main DAW too. I don't see how many installs your allowed but I hope for at least 2.  
 
I have yet to find the perfect drum kit. Session drummer was pretty good, but then AD2 made it sound flat. But AD is limited to the samples you buy, and there's very little variation on the snare sounds. I'm not parting with more cash for more samples from them. 
I do like to use my own snare drum samples. And I still use the TTS-1 Kick drum on most of my backing tracks.. It sits perfectly in the mix for live PA playback. 
So Home Studio with a good sounding drum kit is my immediate goal. What I heard in the demo clips this is looking optimistic. 

My Strike content folder is sitting at 19.3GB.  It seems to offer much more than AD2 or SD3 out of the box
 
I got 2 activations for each of my AIR products, so that is perfect for a desktop and a laptop.  Enjoy!

I just got the Sonar Home Studio also, same reasons, Its a well featured daw without all the stuff I don't need right now... Have Artist waiting to be renewed when I feel like graduating up someday. I just messed with SI Drums, Strike 2, and EZ Drummer lite the other day... they all seemed to work great in Home Studio for me. Strike 2 seems to be the most featured of the 3. Enjoy!