Transportation in School Choice

This mixed-method analysis examines school transportation in the context of a metropolitan interdistrict school choice program. We interviewed parents and caregivers participating in school choice to understand how they and their children experienced school transportation. We supplemented these data with socio-spatial analyses of commutes to bus stops and bus rides to schools. Findings point to a range of burdens faced by families in the choice program. Suburban and city families and students of color endured disproportionate sacrifices to attend a magnet or non-neighborhood traditional public school. Our findings add to the emerging literature on transportation inequities within school choice.