How many school buses are on time? | Data: Duval Schools; Chart: Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
Published on December 12, 2025 at 11:38 am
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Getting kids to school in Jacksonville is…complicated. The city covers more than 840 square miles, and Duval school buses take students to virtually any school in the district, even magnets that may be clear across the county.
Our Number of the Week is the number of bus trips Duval Schools’ fleet of yellow student movers makes every school day: 3,225.
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3,225
Elementary students who live within 1.5 miles from their school and secondary students who live within 2 miles do not receive transportation. Everyone else, though, qualifies.
Duval Schools outsources its transportation to two companies: Durham School Services and Student Transportation of America. The district’s routes include 240 “exceptional student education” routes (for students will special needs or in gifted programs) and 449 magnet and neighborhood school routes — for a total of 689 different routes.
Recently, Duval Schools installed GPS trackers in buses to create a real-time map of their locations that parents can monitor. Most buses — about two-thirds — arrive at school by the time they’re scheduled to arrive. (Half of those buses arrive early, though, which Superintendent Chris Bernier said recently is a problem he’s willing to deal with until they fix the late arrivals.) “Late” is defined as within 10 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. “Extra late” is anything beyond 10 minutes.
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Beyond the tracking technology, district COO Jim Culbert recently told the School Board that in an effort to make its buses run more smoothly, the district has also increased starting pay for bus drivers and added staff to work on transportation. And, it’s gearing up to launch a new bus troubleshooting system that will centralize students’ route information and make it easier for staff to resolve problems.
For students who need another option, JTA continues to offer all Duval Schools students free rides on city buses.
