Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics: 2009
Digest of Education Statistics: 2009

NCES 2010-013
April 2010


Table 176. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929-30 through 2006-07
School year Average daily attendance, all students Students transported at public expense Expenditures for transportation (in unadjusted dollars) Expenditures for transportation (in constant 2007-08 dollars)1
Number Percent of total Total2  (in thousands) Average per student transported Total2  (in thousands) Average per student transported
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1929-30 21,265,000 1,902,826   8.9 $54,823   $29   $678,047   $356  
1931-32 22,245,000 2,419,173   10.9 58,078   24   852,829   353  
1933-34 22,458,000 2,794,724   12.4 53,908   19   861,836   308  
1935-36 22,299,000 3,250,658   14.6 62,653   19   965,199   297  
1937-38 22,298,000 3,769,242   16.9 75,637   20   1,117,801   297  
                       
1939-40 22,042,000 4,144,161   18.8 83,283   20   1,261,623   304  
1941-42 21,031,000 4,503,081   21.4 92,922   21   1,261,658   280  
1943-44 19,603,000 4,512,412   23.0 107,754   24   1,309,138   290  
1945-46 19,849,000 5,056,966   25.5 129,756   26   1,505,844   298  
1947-48 20,910,000 5,854,041   28.0 176,265   30   1,601,530   274  
                       
1949-50 22,284,000 6,947,384   31.2 214,504   31   1,917,448   276  
1951-52 23,257,000 7,697,130   33.1 268,827   35   2,165,324   281  
1953-54 25,643,871 8,411,719   32.8 307,437   37   2,420,238   288  
1955-56 27,740,149 9,695,819   35.0 353,972   37   2,787,508   287  
1957-58 29,722,275 10,861,689   36.5 416,491   38   3,087,470   284  
                       
1959-60 32,477,440 12,225,142   37.6 486,338   40   3,504,024   287  
1961-62 34,682,340 13,222,667   38.1 576,361   44   4,059,378   307  
1963-64 37,405,058 14,475,778   38.7 673,845   47   4,625,327   320  
1965-66 39,154,497 15,536,567   39.7 787,358   51   5,223,933   336  
1967-68 40,827,965 17,130,873   42.0 981,006   57   6,106,826   356  
                       
1969-70 41,934,376 18,198,577   43.4 1,218,557   67   6,829,145   375  
1971-72 42,254,272 19,474,355   46.1 1,507,830   77   7,757,245   398  
1973-74 41,438,054 21,347,039   51.5 1,858,141   87   8,436,937   395  
1975-76 41,269,720 21,772,483   52.8 2,377,313   109   9,075,010   417  
1977-78 40,079,590 21,800,000 3  54.4 2,731,041   125 3  9,231,026   423 3 
                       
1979-80 38,288,911 21,713,515   56.7 3,833,145   177   10,452,829   481  
1980-81 37,703,744 22,272,000 3  59.1 4,408,000 3  198 3  10,772,669 3  484 3 
1981-82 37,094,652 22,246,000 3  60.0 4,793,000 3  215 3  10,782,162 3  485 3 
1982-83 36,635,868 22,199,000 3  60.6 5,000,000 3  225 3  10,784,615 3  486 3 
1983-84 36,362,978 22,031,000 3  60.6 5,284,000 3  240 3  10,990,375 3  499 3 
                       
1984-85 36,404,261 22,320,000 3  61.3 5,722,000 3  256 3  11,453,089 3  513 3 
1985-86 36,523,103 22,041,000 3  60.3 6,123,000 3  278 3  11,912,214 3  540 3 
1986-87 36,863,867 22,397,000 3  60.8 6,551,000 3  292 3  12,468,061 3  557 3 
1987-88 37,050,707 22,158,000 3  59.8 6,888,000 3  311 3  12,587,864 3  568 3 
1988-89 37,268,072 22,635,000 3  60.7 7,550,000 3  334 3  13,188,578 3  583 3 
                       
1989-90 37,799,296 22,459,000 3  59.4 8,030,990   358 3  13,389,854   596 3 
1990-91 38,426,543 22,000,000 3  57.3 8,678,954   394 3  13,720,080   624 3 
1991-92 38,960,783 23,165,000 3  59.5 8,769,754   379 3  13,433,191   580 3 
1992-93 39,570,462 23,439,000 3  59.2 9,252,300   395 3  13,743,066   586 3 
1993-94 40,146,393 23,858,000 3  59.4 9,627,155   404 3  13,938,790   584 3 
                       
1994-95 40,720,763 23,693,000 3  58.2 9,889,034   417 3  13,918,995   587 3 
1995-96 41,501,596 24,155,000 3  58.2 10,396,426   430 3  14,245,593   590 3 
1996-97 42,262,004 24,090,000 3  57.0 10,989,809   456 3  14,640,953   608 3 
1997-98 42,765,774 24,342,000 3  56.9 11,465,658   471 3  15,007,251   617 3 
1998-99 43,186,715 24,898,000 3  57.7 12,224,454   491 3  15,728,151   632 3 
                       
1999-2000 43,806,726 24,951,000 3  57.0 13,007,625   521 3  16,266,217   652 3 
2000-01 44,075,930 24,471,000 3  55.5 14,052,654   574 3  16,990,925   694 3 
2001-02 44,604,592 24,529,000 4  55.0 14,799,365   603 4  17,582,469   717 4 
2002-03 45,017,360 24,621,000 4  54.7 15,648,821   636 4  18,191,879   739 4 
2003-04 45,325,731 25,159,000 4  55.5 16,348,784   650 4  18,598,705   739 4 
                       
2004-05 45,625,458 25,318,000 4  55.5 17,459,659   690 4  19,282,206   762 4 
2005-06 45,931,617 25,402,000 4  55.3 18,850,234   742 4  20,054,234   789 4 
2006-07 46,127,761 25,631,000 4  55.6 19,979,044   779 4  20,719,335   808 4 
1 Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
2 Excludes capital outlay for years through 1979-80, and 1989-90 to the latest year. From 1980-81 to 1988-89 total transportation figures include capital outlay.
3 Estimate based on data appearing in January issues of School Bus Fleet.
4 Estimate based on data reported by School Transportation News.
NOTE: Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistics of State School Systems, 1929-30 through 1975-76; Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, 1977-78 and 1979-80; Common Core of Data (CCD), "National Public Education Financial Survey," 1987-88 through 2006-07; Bobit Publishing Co., School Bus Fleet, "School Transportation: 2000-2001 School Year"; School Transportation News, "K-12 Enrollment/Transportation Data," 2001-02 through 2007-08; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared October 2009.)