Transportation Questions

No. All bus privileges are issued based upon a student bus assignment to and from school or day care services. Each child is assigned one bus and one stop to and from school. Regardless of one way or round trip use, the fee remains the same. 

Refunds will be issued if a completed refund request form is sent to the School Department and received prior to the first day of school.  A processing fee of $25.00 per student will be deducted from the refund. Once school has started, no refunds will be issued. Late fees will not be refunded. This form is available at the School Department or by clicking here.

Yes. We will provide services to and/or from day care providers if the day care is in the same school district as the home. For example, a child who resides in the Floral School District can use a day care located in the Floral School District only. Day care transportation is provided either one-way or round trip, but must be for all five days each week. If you are not certain if your provider is located within the same district as your child’s school, you may send an email

Students are not authorized to ride on any other bus other than their assigned bus due to safety and accountability concerns (i.e. accident, missing student etc)

No.  Bus fees only account for approximately 40% of the total cost of in-district busing in Shrewsbury. 

Students who attend Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School or any private school in Shrewsbury NOW need to register online. Access to online registration can be found on the main district page. Look for the school bus icon under the main photograph, then choose “Private & Vocational School Transportation” from the section menu/left hand navigation menu.

OR
Go to: /transportation/Private-and-Vocational-School-Transportation-Registration.  Instructions and the registration link can be found at this location.

Please note: Students attending Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School will receive bus transportation at no cost per state law. The same eligibility rules for free or fee-based busing for Shrewsbury Public School students apply to students attending private schools in Shrewsbury.

Families who have students attending school in Shrewsbury Public Schools WILL NOT be mailed the bus number or location. This information will be posted to the PowerSchool Parent Portal site for parents to review in late August once bus routes have been finalized.

Families whose students attend private or vocational schools will be emailed information in late August.

Shrewsbury Public Schools uses Transfinder routing software to measure distances within town, and to determine school bus stops and routes. Transfinder utilizes the shortest distance along traversable streets to determine the distance between a student’s home and the assigned school. 

For a two hour delay, the bus pickup time would be two hours later from the regular pickup time listed in Powerschool (i.e. a 7:33 am pick up would now be a 9:33 am pickup time).

Per state law, students who are currently eligible for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program will not be required to pay the bus fee. However, registration for bus privileges through the PowerSchool Parent Portal is still required and a late fee will be required if registration is not received by June 30th. If it is determined that you are no longer eligible for this program you will be required to pay the transportation fee. 

Only special education students with specialized transportation requirements written into a valid IEP will receive bus transportation at no cost; otherwise special education students are subject to the same eligibility and payment regulations as regular education students.

For the 2024-2025 school year, the school bus fee is $320 per student, and there is a family cap of $960. A late fee of $50 per student will be assessed after June 30 (with a $150 family cap for late fees). Checks or money orders made payable to Town of Shrewsbury with "Bus Fee" and the student's name in the memo line are the only form of payment accepted if you choose not to use the online payment option. 

Fee-based busing applies to all Shrewsbury Public Schools students and Shrewsbury residents attending private schools in Shrewsbury in grades K-6 who reside 2.0 miles or less from the school that they attend and all students in grades 7 -12 regardless of distance.

As stated above - Students attending Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School do not pay a fee per state law.

All bus fees must be submitted in full in person by 4:30pm on June 30 or postmarked with a June 30 date. All bus registrations received July 1st or later will be assessed a $50.00 late fee per student ($150.00 family cap late fee), regardless of the free or fee based status of the request.
If you are undecided regarding the need for transportation, it is advisable to pay the fee to reserve your spot so as not to incur a late fee. See Q.13 for details regarding refunds. 

Per state law, all Shrewsbury students (public and private) in grades K-6 who reside 2.01 miles or more from their assigned school are eligible for free transportation. Transportation is only available to other K-6 students residing 2.0 miles or less from their school, or in grades 7-12 for a fee. Transportation is not available to preschool students.

All  students who wish to ride the school bus to and from Shrewsbury Public Schools and all special education students who attend programs in Shrewsbury Public Schools, including those who require specialized busing.

*High school students cannot access the Bus Privilege Registration from their own accounts.  Registration
can only be accessed through the Parent Portal.
.