blinking white folder with ? mark on start up

Macs prior to Late 2011 models cannot perform Internet Recovery. What you need for the older Macs is a Software Recovery DVD that came with them when they were new. The school from which you bought the machine should have included the DVDs without which you cannot install OS X on an erased drive. Depending on what year it is from and what OS X version was factory installed, you might then be able to use the retail Snow Leopard DVD from Apple.

You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store:Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.

After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store.

Put the drive back into the computer. Then do this:

Internet/Network Recovery of El Capitan or Later on a Clean Disk

1. Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the (Command-Option-Shift-R) keys until a globe appears.
2. The Utility Menu will appear in from 5-20 minutes. Be patient.
3. Select Disk Utility and click on the Continue button.
4. When Disk Utility loads select the drive (usually, the out-dented entry) from the side list.
5. Click on the Erase tab in Disk Utility's main window. A panel will drop down.
6. Set the partition scheme to GUID.
7. Set the Format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
8. Click on the Apply button, then click on the Done button when it activates.
9. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
10. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

Note:

1. To install the version of OS X that was currently installed use Command-Option-R.

2. To install the original factory version when the computer was new use Command-Option-Shift-R.

A system from 2006 will not boot a 2013 Mac model. You need a system released with the newer model or after that model came out.