The benefits of school bus Wi-Fi

In today's mobile society, learning is not limited by location. Installing Wi-Fi on school buses extends learning beyond the four walls of a classroom, and is a unique solution for building digital inclusivity in education.

On school days, 25 million children take a bus to school, with an average commute time of 20 minutes. Recognizing the importance of connectivity, districts are adding Wi-Fi on school buses to enable students to use commuting time more productively. Now, with E-Rate funding, such upgrades are more affordable than ever.

The benefits of school bus Wi-Fi

The proliferation of 1:1 device programs in K-12 education is creating an ever-increasing demand for robust connectivity, inside and outside the classroom. With this demand, school districts are evaluating the benefits of adding internet connection to student buses.

Closing the homework gap

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), nearly 17 million school children lack internet access at home. Using school bus Wi-Fi can help close the homework gap between students who have reliable Wi-Fi at home and those who don't. The homework gap is a digital inequity suffered by the many school-age children—typically from disadvantaged or rural households—who don't have the internet access they need at home to complete their schoolwork or endure long commutes to and from school.

Pew Research reports that 24% of U.S. teens from households with incomes less than $30,000 cannot complete their homework due to the lack of a computer or internet connection at home—three times more than households with incomes exceeding $75,000.

One school district in rural Vermont sees the benefit of Wi-Fi on school buses for its community. One district in Vermont recently outlined plans to bring Wi-Fi to the school buses for a Middle/High School in an effort to close its homework gap. The district envisions students being able to access various types of learning, documents and even videos to level the academic playing field for its slice of rural America.

Increased productivity

Many students use school bus Wi-Fi to complete homework during commutes, especially rural students on longer rides. Pilot programs and existing connectivity on buses have indicated that students on the morning commute regularly do schoolwork during the ride.¹ Concerned about gaming and social media surfing? Schools can set filters for streaming services and social media so that bandwidth is saved for educational use. For example, one county's public schools in Florida recently equipped its fleet of 125 buses with Wi-Fi connections. Students must connect through the district's network, which blocks social media and inappropriate websites.

Promotes better behavior

Wi-Fi on school buses has been shown to improve student behavior and overall student safety, as drivers are able to operate buses more safely, without being distracted by rambunctious students. A Missouri school district saw bus discipline referrals drop by 45% after installing Wi-Fi on school buses.

Enhanced security

School bus Wi-Fi can help keep students safe on their commute to and from school. Smart cameras and GPS can enhance security and support faster incident response in an emergency. Wi-Fi can even enable interoperability between bus drivers and first responders. On a more routine basis, administrators can monitor school bus speed data and be alerted if a bus travels outside its normal route.

E-Rate funding now available for school bus technology

The E-Rate program, established by Congress in the 1990s, aimed to enhance affordable access to telecommunications and information for schools and libraries. Eligible schools may receive discounts ranging from 20% to as high as 90% on telecommunication services and internet access, depending on factors such as their poverty level or rural location.

In 2023, the FCC declared that "access point technologies" serve an educational purpose and are now eligible for E-Rate funding. This includes E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi on school buses to, “to ensure that the millions of students caught in the Homework Gap can more fully engage in their learning.”

The expansion of E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi on school buses comes at a critical time as pandemic-era emergency federal funding expires. Beginning in 2025 E-Rate is enabling Wi-Fi HotSpots for purchase by schools and libraries for lending with aims to also help close the homework gap.

Learn on the go, with Verizon

The move to digital learning—whether in schools, at libraries, on school buses and at home—is driving the need for increasing network capacity. Learn how your educational institution can leverage E-Rate eligibility for school bus technology to access significant cost savings on Verizon's network connectivity solutions.

The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.