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Digest of Education Statistics: 2011
Digest of Education Statistics: 2011

NCES 2012-001
May 2012


Table 184. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929-30 through 2008-09
School year Average daily atten-
dance, all students
Students transported at public expense Expenditures for transportation (in unadjusted dollars) Expenditures for transportation (in constant 2009-10 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   $694,167   $365  
1931-32 22,245,000 2,419,173   10.9 58,078   24   873,104   361  
1933-34 22,458,000 2,794,724   12.4 53,908   19   882,325   316  
1935-36 22,299,000 3,250,658   14.6 62,653   19   988,146   304  
1937-38 22,298,000 3,769,242   16.9 75,637   20   1,144,376   304  
                         
1939-40 22,042,000 4,144,161   18.8 83,283   20   1,291,617   312  
1941-42 21,031,000 4,503,081   21.4 92,922   21   1,291,653   287  
1943-44 19,603,000 4,512,412   23.0 107,754   24   1,340,262   297  
1945-46 19,849,000 5,056,966   25.5 129,756   26   1,541,644   305  
1947-48 20,910,000 5,854,041   28.0 176,265   30   1,639,605   280  
                         
1949-50 22,284,000 6,947,384   31.2 214,504   31   1,963,034   283  
1951-52 23,257,000 7,697,130   33.1 268,827   35   2,216,802   288  
1953-54 25,643,871 8,411,719   32.8 307,437   37   2,477,776   295  
1955-56 27,740,149 9,695,819   35.0 353,972   37   2,853,778   294  
1957-58 29,722,275 10,861,689   36.5 416,491   38   3,160,872   291  
                         
1959-60 32,477,440 12,225,142   37.6 486,338   40   3,587,328   293  
1961-62 34,682,340 13,222,667   38.1 576,361   44   4,155,885   314  
1963-64 37,405,058 14,475,778   38.7 673,845   47   4,735,289   327  
1965-66 39,154,497 15,536,567   39.7 787,358   51   5,348,127   344  
1967-68 40,827,965 17,130,873   42.0 981,006   57   6,252,009   365  
                         
1969-70 41,934,376 18,198,577   43.4 1,218,557   67   6,991,501   384  
1971-72 42,254,272 19,474,355   46.1 1,507,830   77   7,941,665   408  
1973-74 41,438,054 21,347,039   51.5 1,858,141   87   8,637,516   405  
1975-76 41,269,720 21,772,483   52.8 2,377,313   109   9,290,759   427  
1977-78 40,079,590 21,800,000 3  54.4 2,731,041   125 3  9,450,484   434 3 
                         
1979-80 38,288,911 21,713,515   56.7 3,833,145   177   10,701,334   493  
1980-81 37,703,744 22,272,000 3  59.1 4,408,000 3  198 3  11,028,778 3  495 3 
1981-82 37,094,652 22,246,000 3  60.0 4,793,000 3  215 3  11,038,497 3  496 3 
1982-83 36,635,868 22,199,000 3  60.6 5,000,000 3  225 3  11,041,009 3  497 3 
1983-84 36,362,978 22,031,000 3  60.6 5,284,000 3  240 3  11,251,660 3  511 3 
                         
1984-85 36,404,261 22,320,000 3  61.3 5,722,000 3  256 3  11,725,374 3  525 3 
1985-86 36,523,103 22,041,000 3  60.3 6,123,000 3  278 3  12,195,414 3  553 3 
1986-87 36,863,867 22,397,000 3  60.8 6,551,000 3  292 3  12,764,476 3  570 3 
1987-88 37,050,707 22,158,000 3  59.8 6,888,000 3  311 3  12,887,128 3  582 3 
1988-89 37,268,072 22,635,000 3  60.7 7,550,000 3  334 3  13,502,123 3  597 3 
                         
1989-90 37,799,296 22,459,000 3  59.4 8,030,990   358 3  13,708,184   610 3 
1990-91 38,426,543 22,000,000 3  57.3 8,678,954   394 3  14,046,261   638 3 
1991-92 38,960,783 23,165,000 3  59.5 8,769,754   379 3  13,752,551   594 3 
1992-93 39,570,462 23,439,000 3  59.2 9,252,300   395 3  14,069,793   600 3 
1993-94 40,146,393 23,858,000 3  59.4 9,627,155   404 3  14,270,170   598 3 
                         
1994-95 40,720,763 23,693,000 3  58.2 9,889,034   417 3  14,249,905   601 3 
1995-96 41,501,596 24,155,000 3  58.2 10,396,426   430 3  14,584,267   604 3 
1996-97 42,262,004 24,090,000 3  57.0 10,989,809   456 3  14,989,027   622 3 
1997-98 42,765,774 24,342,000 3  56.9 11,465,658   471 3  15,364,033   631 3 
1998-99 43,186,715 24,898,000 3  57.7 12,224,454   491 3  16,102,072   647 3 
                         
1999-2000 43,806,726 24,951,000 3  57.0 13,007,625   521 3  16,652,929   667 3 
2000-01 44,075,930 24,471,000 3  55.5 14,052,654   574 3  17,394,867   711 3 
2001-02 44,604,592 24,529,000 4  55.0 14,799,365   603 4  18,000,474   734 4 
2002-03 45,017,360 24,621,000 4  54.7 15,648,821   636 4  18,624,372   756 4 
2003-04 45,325,731 25,159,000 4  55.5 16,348,784   650 4  19,040,870   757 4 
                         
2004-05 45,625,458 25,318,000 4  55.5 17,459,659   690 4  19,740,621   780 4 
2005-06 45,931,617 25,252,000 4  55.0 18,850,234   746 4  20,531,003   813 4 
2006-07 46,132,663 25,285,000 4  54.8 19,979,068   790 4  21,211,941   839 4 
2007-08 46,155,880 25,221,000 4  54.6 21,536,978   854 3  22,048,998   874 3 
2008-09 46,212,771   21,685,125   859   21,894,947   868  
---Not available.
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 2008-09; 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 December 2011.)