Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts

The World Resources Institute's research paper examines the barriers and motivators for electric school bus (ESB) adoption across U.S. school districts, highlighting that geography and locale are more significant drivers of district needs than priority status based on demographics or pollution exposure.

• School districts identified the primary benefits of electric school buses as improved health for drivers and children, cleaner air, and a reduction in operating expenses.
• While districts are motivated by funding, climate and air quality benefits, and technological interest, they remain concerned about infrastructure, cost, maintenance, technological readiness, and the length of routes.
• District geography and locale (such as urban or rural settings) have a more substantial impact on a district's needs than its 'priority status'—which is determined by Tribal status, racial diversity, pollutant exposure, and the percentage of low-income students.
• Equity is generally not considered during the electrification process; however, districts that do incorporate equity focus on prioritizing students with disabilities and deploying buses in underserved areas.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts. https://www.wri.org/research/needs-assessment-equitable-school-bus-electrification-us-school-districts

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts. 2025. https://www.wri.org/research/needs-assessment-equitable-school-bus-electrification-us-school-districts.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts |date=March 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/research/needs-assessment-equitable-school-bus-electrification-us-school-districts |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025needs, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/needs-assessment-equitable-school-bus-electrification-us-school-districts}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }