Student transportation in North Dakota: FAQ for district transportation leaders
Answers to common questions from North Dakota transportation directors, with a link to the official source for every answer. Updated November 2026. State rules change, so confirm details with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction before you act on them.
How does North Dakota fund school transportation?
North Dakota pays transportation aid separately from its main school formula. Under N.D.C.C. 15.1-27-31.2, the state turns a district's eligible large and small bus miles, large and small bus runs, square miles, school buildings and reimbursed family miles into transportation average daily membership equivalents. Those convert to weighted student units, which are paid at the state's per-student rate. Accurate miles and runs for every route give your district its full count.
Sources: N.D.C.C. 15.1-27-31.2 and HB 1214 (2025), enrolled
When did the new transportation formula start?
HB 1214 passed in 2025 and replaced the old per-mile payments. Its formula for the 2025-27 biennium took effect August 1, 2025, and a revised version of the section takes effect July 1, 2027.
Sources: HB 1214 bill overview and Legislative Council, effective dates of 2025 legislation
What is the per-student payment rate?
State law sets the rate at $11,349 for 2025-26 and $11,633 for 2026-27 and after. The rate is applied to a district's weighted student units, which start from average daily membership.
Source: N.D.C.C. 15.1-27-04.1
Can a district pay parents instead of running a bus?
Yes. A school board may pay the parent of a student who lives more than 2 mi from the public school the student attends a reasonable sum per day, when an adult in the student's family drives the student to school.
Source: N.D.C.C. 15.1-30-02
Do districts have to bid bus contracts?
A district that provides transportation contracts for it before each school year and lets the contract to the lowest responsible bidder. A contract for a privately owned vehicle can run up to 7 years. The rule doesn't apply to a district that owns its own buses and employs its own drivers.
Source: N.D.C.C. 15.1-30-06 and 15.1-30-12
Can districts transport nonpublic school students?
A district that transports its own students may also carry nonpublic school students. They ride only on the routes set for public school students, on the same days and times, and within each bus's legal capacity.
Source: N.D.C.C. 15.1-30-15
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