The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with new findings as of July 2025 from WRI’s Electric School Bus Data Dashboard, which is updated monthly and contains the most recent data on electric school bus adoption. Previous versions of this article are available for download at the bottom of this page.

Electric school buses are experiencing remarkable growth across the United States.

What began as new technology predominantly used in coastal states and wealthier suburban school districts is now transforming student transportation in every part of the country, with electric school buses now on the road in 49 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories and more than 20 tribal nations, according to data from WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative.

Between 2020 and 2025, the number of electric school buses on the road has skyrocketed from 415 to more than 5,100. All told, electric school buses now transport more than 265,000 students to and from school each day, up from just 21,000 five years ago.

When factoring in committed electric school buses — which includes buses that are awarded funding, on order, delivered or in active deployment — the number of electric school buses has risen more than tenfold, from 1,226 in 2020 to 13,931 in 2025.

This is more than just a transportation story. It reflects broader environmental, economic and equity-driven changes in education and infrastructure policy.

A Cleaner, Smoother Ride for Students

The rapid adoption of electric school buses began with the recognition of the health and environmental harms associated with diesel emissions — especially for children, whose developing lungs are more susceptible to air pollution.

More than 21 million students ride the bus to school every day in the U.S. For decades, diesel-burning fleets have been the default option for transporting students, putting their health at risk every school day. Diesel exhaust pollution is a known carcinogen, with proven links to serious physical health issues as well as cognitive development impacts.

But the last five years have seen an unprecedented shift toward a healthier alternative. Electric school buses, once a rarity, are now a growing presence in all types of school districts— urban and rural, large and small, politically red and blue.

With zero tailpipe emissions, electric school buses eliminate direct exposure to harmful pollutants for both students and drivers. They also offer a quieter, smoother ride.

Now, they’re increasingly becoming the school bus of choice in districts throughout the country.

In 2020, only 303 school districts (serving over 4.8 million students) had at least one committed electric school bus. That number has increased more than fivefold to 1,542 school districts (serving over 15 million students) in 2025. 

This has prevented approximately 117,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and over 205,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions — the equivalent of emissions from approximately 33,000 gasoline-powered vehicles driven in a year. These reductions benefit not only the students on the buses, but the broader communities along the travel routes.

As more school districts add electric school buses to their fleets, pilot programs are growing into larger-scale fleet replacements, demonstrating the long-term operational, maintenance and health benefits of electric school buses.

Electric School Buses in Every Corner of the Country

Five years ago, electric school buses were overwhelmingly on the west coast. In 2020, 87% of all electric school buses were serving the western U.S., with California accounting for nearly 80% (986) of all committed electric school buses.

Today, electric school buses are no longer a coastal phenomenon. Just 24% of committed electric school buses are now in California. While California remains a national leader with 3,382 electric school buses on the road, other states are stepping up. New York (873), Maryland (738), Illinois (669) and Massachusetts (633) round out the top five.

Regionally, the landscape is far more balanced. The Midwest now accounts for 15% of all electric school bus commitments, the Northeast accounts for 21%, the South for 31% and the West for 33%. The dramatic rise in southern states’ adoption demonstrates the broad appeal of electric school buses across politically red and blue states alike. Wyoming remains the only U.S. state without any electric school buses.

This shift is also evident in the political distribution of electric school bus adoption. In 2020, 68% of districts with electric school buses were represented by Democrats and 32% by Republicans. By 2025, that split is nearly even: 49% Democrat and 51% Republican. School districts with electric school buses can now be found in 360 congressional districts, up from 118 five years ago.

Rural areas have also seen major growth. In 2020, just 17% of school districts with an electric school bus were rural school districts. Today, 36% of school districts with at least one committed electric bus are in rural locales. These districts are increasingly finding that electric school buses, with their weight distribution and strong torque, perform well on all types of routes and in cold or hilly conditions once thought to be challenges.

Funding Momentum Is Fueling the Transition

High upfront costs have long been a major barrier to electric school bus adoption, but a growing network of funding and financing programs at the federal, state and local levels are eliminating this challenge.

The federal Clean School Bus Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021, is playing a transformative role. It prioritizes funding for low-income and historically underserved communities, ensuring that early adoption doesn’t just occur in affluent areas. This program increased federal funding dollars for electric school buses from just $11 million in 2020 to $6 billion today. To date, the Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $3 billion to fund 8,600 electric school buses to 1,200 school districts. As of July 2025, it is unclear if the remaining $2 billion in funding allocated to the Clean School Bus Program by Congress, but not yet obligated to school districts, will be made available through new funding opportunities.

Increasingly, state and local funding programs are also driving the electric school bus transition forward.

In 2020, only 34 programs nationwide offered funding for electric school buses. Today, there are 116 programs. Cumulative state-level funding has grown dramatically from $268 million in 2020 to $2.47 billion in 2025. At the same time, the number of states with official electric school bus transition commitments has increased from zero in 2020 to 16 today, bringing the benefits of clean rides to more students.

A Growing Market with More Choices

As demand for electric school surges from both school district interest and increased funding availability, market supply is keeping up.

While schools once had limited vehicle options, there’s now a broader range of offerings: 26 electric school bus models are currently on the market, with driving ranges up to 300 miles, suitable for long, rural routes. The number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the electric school bus space has also increased, from 13 in 2020 to 23 in 2025.

With more options available and more interest from school districts, electric school buses now make up a bigger share of new school bus sales than ever before.

In 2020, there were only 459 electric school bus orders placed nationwide. By 2024, that number had surged to 2,698 orders. In 2024, electric school buses represented an estimated 7.5% of all new school bus sales, up from just 1% in 2020 — a milestone on par with the electric vehicle market for passenger cars.

More bus sales are helping to build out charging infrastructure and spur innovations in battery technology and recycling. In turn, it’s enabling school districts to better meet their unique operational needs and support reliable electric school bus fleets at local level.

Protecting Vulnerable Students from Harmful Pollution

A key driver for school bus electrification is the academic benefits electric school buses offer, and the opportunity to prioritize those most impacted by on-road air pollution.

Exposure to diesel exhaust pollution can lead to missed school days, hurting students’ academic progress. In fact, studies show that reducing students’ exposure to air pollution from school buses increases student test scores.

But the achievement risks from diesel school buses are not distributed equally among students.

The U.S. education system has a long history of achievement gaps based on a student’s race or ethnicity. Communities of color and low-income populations are often exposed to higher levels of air pollution due to decades of racist policies, including redlining and inequitable infrastructure planning. When it comes to school transportation, these trends continue: Black students, students with disabilities and low-income students all rely on school buses more than others, exposing them to more diesel exhaust pollution.

Importantly, funding policies that prioritize those most impacted by diesel-burning school bus pollution are working.

Today, 36% of committed electric school buses are located in school districts with the highest shares of low-income households, compared to just 28% in 2020. Similarly, more than 70% of committed electric school buses have been located in districts with the highest shares of people of color every year since 2020. And more than 20 Tribal nations have received funding for electric school buses since 2020.

These figures reflect the intentional design of programs like the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which prioritizes underserved and tribal communities to ensure that the benefits of clean air and better infrastructure reach those who need them most.

Looking Ahead

The past five years have shown that the electric school bus transition is not only possible — it’s well underway. What began as a handful of pilot programs in California has grown into a nationwide movement nearing a tipping point where electric school buses become the first-choice technology for school transportation.

With nearly 14,000 committed electric school buses and more than 5,100 already on the road, communities across the U.S. are beginning to see the benefits in real time: healthier air, quieter rides, cost savings on fuel and maintenance, and reduced climate pollution.

Policymakers, school districts, utilities, and manufacturers all have a role to play in unlocking their grid value, lowering costs, and accelerating adoption in underserved communities. These efforts will transition electric school buses from an emerging technology to an industry standard. With strong leadership and smart policy design, the next five years can build a self-sustaining market that brings us closer to a future where every student rides to school in a clean electric bus.

Looking to follow the most up-to-date, interactive electric school bus data? Check out our Electric School Bus Data Dashboard, where you can easily explore trends and dive into the latest data.