As back-to-school season ramps up, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is calling families to finalize enrollment, transportation and special education services before the school year starts.
For parents and guardians of K-8 students, this is also a chance to opt into yellow school bus transportation. Keep an eye out for a call from 216-838-0000, and if you’ve missed a call, follow the instructions on your voicemail to confirm your student plans to take the bus.
If you haven’t yet gotten a call or are worried the district has a wrong number on file, call the transportation division at 216-838-4287 to check your eligibility and confirm your student’s bus route.
Who can ride the school bus?
CMSD provides yellow-bus transportation to students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Students can only ride the bus if they live farther than a mile but within three miles from their school. Those living within a mile of their school are considered within walking distance and don’t qualify.
CMSD buses all students who attend district-wide speciality schools — such as Campus International, Waverly Montessori or one of the single-gender academies — regardless of how far they live.
This year, the district has also made special allowances for families affected by school closures and mergers. Students who were eligible for yellow-bus transportation at their previous school and live more than a mile from their new “welcoming school” will continue to receive transportation.
Families who choose to enroll their students in a different school than their assigned welcoming school are eligible for transportation based on the district’s standard one- to three-mile boundary policy.
For families at closing or merging schools, the district has a list of routing specialists who can answer questions. The best time to contact them is between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
All students with transportation-related individualized education plans (IEPs) will continue to receive services as outlined by their IEP. Parents should also be on the lookout for a call from 216-838-0000 to finalize the details for their student’s special education services.
What if my family has moved since last school year?
The first step is to update CMSD on your family’s new address.
Over the summer, parents and guardians can do this in person at either the Downtown CMSD Welcome Center at 1111 Superior Ave. E or at Natividad Pagan International Newcomers Academy at 3145 W. 46th St.
No appointment is needed, but families should bring proof of their new address and a valid ID. Acceptable documents include a lease or mortgage statement, a recent utility bill, or payroll or tax records.
It takes around 24 to 48 hours for a student’s address to update in the district’s system before the transportation office can use a new address to check their eligibility for busing.
What if my student doesn’t attend CMSD? Can they still get transportation?
If a student attends a charter or private school, their home district is still required to provide transportation to help them get to and from school as long as they live more than a mile away. For K-8 students,that’s usually through a contracted cab or van company hired by CMSD. For high school students, the district provides RTA passes.
Depending on how far a student lives from school, the district might deem them impractical to transport and provide a reimbursement of up to $600 instead. The list of students deemed impractical for the 2025-2026 school year was approved at a July 27 school board meeting and can be found here.
To check routing information, eligibility and apply for reimbursement, Cleveland parents or guardians should call the CMSD transportation office at 216-838-4287.
