[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-585272-105":59,"doc-detail-585272-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","modernizing-student-transportation-for-an-era-of-k12-choice-backgrounder-no-3954-key-takeaways","Modernizing Student Transportation for an Era of K–12 Choice - Backgrounder No. 3954 - Key Takeaways","","School district transportation monopolies have become costly and increasingly ineffective as K–12 choice expands. The policy argues that more education providers and schools in close proximity increase families’ access to diverse options, especially when students can be transported in smaller groups to more destinations. It also highlights rising needs in a choice-driven environment and discusses alternatives such as modernized municipal buses, extending transportation through education savings account programs, and supporting new schools and co-location models.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/modernizing-student-transportation-for-an-era-of-k12-choice-backgrounder-no-3954-key-takeaways/585272/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/modernizing-student-transportation-for-an-era-of-k12-choice-backgrounder-no-3954-key-takeaways/585272.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Aria Callaghan","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the paper argue that traditional district transportation monopolies are outdated?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It states that these systems are increasingly broken and costly, while the need for transportation in a choice-based K–12 environment has grown.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does school choice affect families’ ability to enroll in preferred schools?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The paper cites survey evidence showing transportation difficulties reduce enrollment in preferred schools, and that many parents would prefer alternatives such as charter, home, and especially private schools.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What transportation problems does distance create, based on the provided data?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It shows walking or biking rates vary sharply by proximity: most students walk or bike when they live within a quarter mile, while very few do so when living more than two miles away.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},585272,1792230904,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084926284,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","BACKGROUNDER  \nNo. 3954 | March 19, 2026  \ncENTEr FOr EDUcaTION POLIcY  \nModernizing Student Transportation for an Era ofK–12 Choice  \nMatthew Ladner  \nKEY TAKEAWAYS  \nSchool district transportation monopolies have become antiquated, increasingly broken, and costly.  \nMore schools and education service providers improve proximity to, and thus access to, a greater variety of education options.  \namerican families would greatly benefit from a modernized system of student transportation designed to take smaller groups of students to more destinations.  \nTheVenn diagram ofK–12 choice and student  \ntransportation overlaps in a large way. A  \n2009 survey of parents in Denver and Washington, DC, found that a little more than one-quarter of respondents reported not enrolling their child in the school they preferred due to transportation difficulties.1 A 2024 parental survey found that half of American parents who enrolled their children in district schools, all else being equal, would prefer to enroll their children in other types of schools—charter, home, and (especially) private schools.2 In addition to enabling new school options, students require new ways to get to schools and other places of learning.  \nAmerican taxpayers all pay for district yellowschool-bus systems, but the buses run almost exclusively for the benefit of students attending their zoned district school. In recent years, the number of  \nThis paper, in its entirety, can be found at [https://report.heritage.org/bg3954](https://report.heritage.org/bg3954)  \nThe heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts avenue, NE | Washington, Dc 20002 | (202) [546-4400 | heritage.org](546-4400 | heritage.org)[ ](546-4400 | heritage.org)Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress.  \ndistrict yellow bus systems passengers has declined even as the need for transportation in a choice-based K–12 education environment has grown. States such as Ohio and Pennsylvania have expanded their yellow bus service to include students attending private schools. Other possible solutions include updating municipal bus systems to better serve students; including transportation as an allowable use under education savings account (ESA) programs; and encouraging the growth of new schools and education vendors and more robust co-location policies modeled after those in New York and Florida.  \nMake Walking to School Great Again  \nThe image of the little red schoolhouse, with students pleasantly walking to class, holds an enormous nostalgic power. During the 20th century, however, waves of school district consolidations resulted in an increasing number of students attending larger and more distant schools. The move to larger and more distant schools was likely academically counter-productive, as academic evaluations of small school policies have found higher rates of high school graduation and college readiness associated with small school attendance.3 The move also made it increasingly less possible for students to walk or bike to school.  \nIn 1969, 49 percent of elementary students in grades K–8 generally walked or biked to school.4 By 2017, the National Household Travel Survey found that only 10.4 percent of students were walking or biking to school.  \nData from a 2009 analysis displays the role that distance plays in student transportation methods. Among K–8 students, the overall percentage of students walking or biking to school stood at 13 percent. Among students living within a quarter of a mile of their school, however, 56 percent walked or biked. Among those who lived more than two miles from their school, only 1.7 percent walked or biked.  \nThe country’s first charter school, City Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota, opened its doors in 1992. When it opened, a large number of students, whether the students lived far away or nearby, had the option of attending the school. Some","cbCaiaaqYIogUzZO","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaaqYIogUzZO","pdf",268616,11,"English","# Key Takeaways\n## Transportation Access and K–12 Choice\n## Modernizing Student Transportation for Smaller Groups\n## Walking to School and Distance Trends\n## Charter and Private School Transportation Dynamics","[{\"question\":\"Why does the paper argue that traditional district transportation monopolies are outdated?\",\"answer\":\"It states that these systems are increasingly broken and costly, while the need for transportation in a choice-based K–12 environment has grown.\"},{\"question\":\"How does school choice affect families’ ability to enroll in preferred schools?\",\"answer\":\"The paper cites survey evidence showing transportation difficulties reduce enrollment in preferred schools, and that many parents would prefer alternatives such as charter, home, and especially private schools.\"},{\"question\":\"What transportation problems does distance create, based on the provided data?\",\"answer\":\"It shows walking or biking rates vary sharply by proximity: most students walk or bike when they live within a quarter mile, while very few do so when living more than two miles away.\"}]","Modernizing Student Transportation for an Era of K–12 Choice - Backgrounder No. 3954 - Key Takeaways | PDF",1792054220,28]