2026 State of School Transportation
Our 2026 State of School Transportation Report investigates the transportation issues facing schools and families today — and shows why transportation is one of the most underused strategic levers districts have for improving enrollment, and attendance.
School districts and transportation teams are navigating bus driver shortages, tightening budgets, and growing pressure to justify every line item — often without the data they need to act with confidence.
Our sixth annual State of School Transportation Report, based on a survey of district leaders and parents nationwide, shows that transportation isn’t just a logistics function. It’s a factor that touches nearly every major challenge a district faces, and most districts aren’t viewing it that way — or using it to their full advantage.
Read the report today to get data and insights on key issues, including:
Why a drop in districts feeling constrained by driver shortages doesn’t mean the problem is improving
The transportation cost blind spots keeping districts from making informed budget decisions
How transportation availability is directly shaping daily attendance and enrollment decisions for families
What’s slowing down McKinney-Vento and IEP transportation — and what families really mean when they ask for “consistency”