Atlanta City Schools
Your local school system’s transportation program is an important factor to consider when choosing the best school district for your child. For more than 22,000 Atlanta students, every school day begins and ends with a ride on one of the school district’s 402 busses. The Atlanta fleet travels over 25,000 miles per day to deliver students to and from school and extracurricular activities on time. In many ways, the Atlanta Public School Transportation system excels above other programs of its kind. In others, the program is about average.
Financially Average
Financially, the Atlanta school transportation system is nearly on par with the national average in per-student expenditures. The Atlanta Public Schools allocate about 3.2%, which equals over $19 million, of their annual budget to school transportation. That’s around $870 per student riding the bus. These costs cover expenses like fuel and maintenance for the fleet. For comparison, the national average cost per student using school transportation is around $915.
Safety Goals
According to the US Department of Transportation, school busses are the number one safest way for students to travel to school. In an interview with the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation, Director of Transportation for Atlanta Public Schools John Lyles listed student safety as the foremost goal for the transportation program. The program focuses heavily on education for students, parents, and drivers. Each student and parents is provided with a clear set of rules and safety guidelines, and drivers are expected to complete rigorous training. The Georgia School Board says that it’s committed to “keeping Georgia school systems in the forefront of the nation in quality, safety, and efficiency.”
Environmentally Excellent
The Atlanta Public Schools Transportation Department was one of only three Georgia programs to be awarded the Blue Sky Award for excellence in lowering environmentally harmful emissions. “The award is a reflection of the district’s commitment to green energy and student health by maintaining a fleet that boasts a 75 percent or better compliance rate with new clean diesel technology,” said Atlanta Public Schools Executive Director of Transportation, John Franklin. Atlanta exceeded the program’s criteria by lowering emissions in 100% of the fleet.
School transportation can be critical to overall student success. For more information on the Atlanta Public School and Transportation system, visit the APS website. To find information about homes in the Atlanta school system, visit Atlanta Fine Homes.
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