The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US

As of August 2021, fewer than 1% of U.S. school buses are electric, with 95% still relying on diesel. Adoption is led by California and Montgomery County, Maryland, though deployment is heavily skewed toward suburban areas (64% of committed buses). While some electric buses are in highly vulnerable communities, this is largely due to targeted funding in California. Federal initiatives like the American Jobs Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework provide scaling opportunities, though the report warns that funding 'clean' fossil-fuel alternatives like natural gas hinders decarbonization goals.

• As of August 2021, electric school bus adoption in the United States is very low, with fewer than 1% of the fleet being electric and only 1,164 buses committed (defined as announced, procured, delivered, or in operation). The vast majority—approximately 95%—of the nearly half a million school buses in the U.S. run on diesel, which is a known carcinogen and can result in air pollution inside buses that is up to 12 times higher than ambient levels.
• California and Montgomery County, Maryland, are leaders in electrification. Of the 14 school districts that have committed to 10 or more electric school buses, 12 are located in California, aided by significant state funding. Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland has the largest single district commitment to date, planning to procure 326 electric school buses over four years. While concentrated on the coasts, 33 states have some form of electric school bus commitment.
• The distribution of electric school buses varies by social vulnerability and locale. Roughly one third of school districts with at least one committed electric bus are in the top 25% most vulnerable counties according to the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, though this trend is heavily driven by California's funding programs; without California, only a small fraction of districts in the most vulnerable areas have electric buses. Geographically, 64% of all committed buses are in suburban areas, 23% in cities, 7% in towns, and 6% in rural areas.
• Federal funding initiatives present opportunities for scaling deployment, though some include non-electric alternatives. The American Jobs Plan proposed $20 billion to electrify at least 20% of school buses via the Clean Buses for Kids Program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework included $2.5 billion for electric school buses and charging infrastructure, but another $2.5 billion was allocated for either electric or "clean" alternative fuel buses, including fossil fuels like propane or natural gas.

APA

Lazer, L., Freehafer, L., Neuberger, J., & Worker, J. (2021). The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-august-2021.pdf

Chicago

Lazer, Leah, Lydia Freehafer, Jillian Neuberger, and Jesse Worker. The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-august-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lazer |first1=Leah |last2=Freehafer |first2=Lydia |last3=Neuberger |first3=Jillian |last4=Worker |first4=Jesse |title=The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=5 August 2021 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-august-2021.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lazer2021state, author = {Lazer, Leah and Freehafer, Lydia and Neuberger, Jillian and Worker, Jesse}, title = {{The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-august-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }