Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Most public school students in Washington DC do not have access to yellow bus service to school, travelling instead by public transit, car, or on foot. In this study, we follow all kindergarten, 6^th grade, and 9^th grade students enrolled in DC public traditional and charter schools from the 2013-14 school year to the 2015-16 school year. We calculate transit and drive times for each student, estimating their typical time to school and its relationship to transfers between schools, both during the school year and between school years. We also look at the correlation between school travel times (and student mobility) and other outcomes, such as test scores and absenteeism rates.