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Digest of Education Statistics
2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 184. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929-30 through 2007-08
School year Average daily atten-dance, all students Students transported at public expense Expenditures for transportation (in unadjusted dollars) Expenditures for transportation (in constant 2008-09 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   $687,515   $361  
1931-32 22,245,000 2,419,173   10.9 58,078   24   864,737   357  
1933-34 22,458,000 2,794,724   12.4 53,908   19   873,870   313  
1935-36 22,299,000 3,250,658   14.6 62,653   19   978,676   301  
1937-38 22,298,000 3,769,242   16.9 75,637   20   1,133,409   301  
                         
1939-40 22,042,000 4,144,161   18.8 83,283   20   1,279,239   309  
1941-42 21,031,000 4,503,081   21.4 92,922   21   1,279,275   284  
1943-44 19,603,000 4,512,412   23.0 107,754   24   1,327,418   294  
1945-46 19,849,000 5,056,966   25.5 129,756   26   1,526,870   302  
1947-48 20,910,000 5,854,041   28.0 176,265   30   1,623,892   277  
                         
1949-50 22,284,000 6,947,384   31.2 214,504   31   1,944,222   280  
1951-52 23,257,000 7,697,130   33.1 268,827   35   2,195,559   285  
1953-54 25,643,871 8,411,719   32.8 307,437   37   2,454,031   292  
1955-56 27,740,149 9,695,819   35.0 353,972   37   2,826,430   292  
1957-58 29,722,275 10,861,689   36.5 416,491   38   3,130,581   288  
                         
1959-60 32,477,440 12,225,142   37.6 486,338   40   3,552,950   291  
1961-62 34,682,340 13,222,667   38.1 576,361   44   4,116,059   311  
1963-64 37,405,058 14,475,778   38.7 673,845   47   4,689,911   324  
1965-66 39,154,497 15,536,567   39.7 787,358   51   5,296,875   341  
1967-68 40,827,965 17,130,873   42.0 981,006   57   6,192,096   361  
                         
1969-70 41,934,376 18,198,577   43.4 1,218,557   67   6,924,501   380  
1971-72 42,254,272 19,474,355   46.1 1,507,830   77   7,865,559   404  
1973-74 41,438,054 21,347,039   51.5 1,858,141   87   8,554,742   401  
1975-76 41,269,720 21,772,483   52.8 2,377,313   109   9,201,725   423  
1977-78 40,079,590 21,800,000 3  54.4 2,731,041   125 3  9,359,919   429 3 
                         
1979-80 38,288,911 21,713,515   56.7 3,833,145   177   10,598,782   488  
1980-81 37,703,744 22,272,000 3  59.1 4,408,000 3  198 3  10,923,088 3  490 3 
1981-82 37,094,652 22,246,000 3  60.0 4,793,000 3  215 3  10,932,713 3  491 3 
1982-83 36,635,868 22,199,000 3  60.6 5,000,000 3  225 3  10,935,201 3  493 3 
1983-84 36,362,978 22,031,000 3  60.6 5,284,000 3  240 3  11,143,834 3  506 3 
                         
1984-85 36,404,261 22,320,000 3  61.3 5,722,000 3  256 3  11,613,009 3  520 3 
1985-86 36,523,103 22,041,000 3  60.3 6,123,000 3  278 3  12,078,544 3  548 3 
1986-87 36,863,867 22,397,000 3  60.8 6,551,000 3  292 3  12,642,153 3  564 3 
1987-88 37,050,707 22,158,000 3  59.8 6,888,000 3  311 3  12,763,629 3  576 3 
1988-89 37,268,072 22,635,000 3  60.7 7,550,000 3  334 3  13,372,730 3  591 3 
                         
1989-90 37,799,296 22,459,000 3  59.4 8,030,990   358 3  13,576,817   605 3 
1990-91 38,426,543 22,000,000 3  57.3 8,678,954   394 3  13,911,654   632 3 
1991-92 38,960,783 23,165,000 3  59.5 8,769,754   379 3  13,620,759   588 3 
1992-93 39,570,462 23,439,000 3  59.2 9,252,300   395 3  13,934,961   595 3 
1993-94 40,146,393 23,858,000 3  59.4 9,627,155   404 3  14,133,417   592 3 
                         
1994-95 40,720,763 23,693,000 3  58.2 9,889,034   417 3  14,113,346   596 3 
1995-96 41,501,596 24,155,000 3  58.2 10,396,426   430 3  14,444,504   598 3 
1996-97 42,262,004 24,090,000 3  57.0 10,989,809   456 3  14,845,385   616 3 
1997-98 42,765,774 24,342,000 3  56.9 11,465,658   471 3  15,216,797   625 3 
1998-99 43,186,715 24,898,000 3  57.7 12,224,454   491 3  15,947,764   641 3 
                         
1999-2000 43,806,726 24,951,000 3  57.0 13,007,625   521 3  16,493,342   661 3 
2000-01 44,075,930 24,471,000 3  55.5 14,052,654   574 3  17,228,169   704 3 
2001-02 44,604,592 24,529,000 4  55.0 14,799,365   603 4  17,827,973   727 4 
2002-03 45,017,360 24,621,000 4  54.7 15,648,821   636 4  18,445,892   749 4 
2003-04 45,325,731 25,159,000 4  55.5 16,348,784   650 4  18,858,399   750 4 
                         
2004-05 45,625,458 25,318,000 4  55.5 17,459,659   690 4  19,551,444   772 4 
2005-06 45,931,617 25,252,000 4  55.0 18,850,234   746 4  20,334,252   805 4 
2006-07 46,132,663 25,285,000 4  54.8 19,979,068   790 4  21,008,665   831 4 
2007-08 46,155,830 25,221,000 4  54.6 21,535,686   854 3  21,836,389   866 3 
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 2007-08; Bobit Publishing Co., School Bus Fleet, "School Transportation: 2000-2001 School Year" and "2010 Fact Book"; School Transportation News, "K-12 Enrollment/Transportation Data," 2001-02 through 2007-08; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared November 2010.)

2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest