Starting Tuesday, Austin's streets will get busier and more unpredictable as the largest school district in Central Texas welcomes tens of thousands of students back to class.
The Austin Independent School District serves more than 70,000 students and employs 5,000 teachers along with almost 4,000 support staff like custodians, bus drivers, cooks and teacher assistants.
During last year's back-to-school week, travel times along major roads increased by as much as 10% in the morning compared to the week immediately prior, according to the transportation data company INRIX. But that's just an average.
"Obviously, roads that are much closer to schools are going to have more congestion than arterial roads that aren't really anywhere near a school pickup or drop off point," explained INRIX chief product officer Ahmed Darrat.
AISD across its 116 campuses � from 7:30 a.m. to 9:05 a.m. Elementary schools typically start first, followed by middle and high schools. That helps spread out traffic somewhat, though the biggest increase in travel times hits around 8:30 a.m., INRIX data shows.
Perhaps a silver lining: afternoon congestion appears little changed by AISD's return to class. Most campuses release kids before 4 p.m., ahead of the worst of Austin's evening rush hour, which usually spans 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Even with staggered schedules, the first few days back tend to be the most chaotic as parents and students adjust to new routines.
"It's like the first time you go someplace, right? You're driving with a little trepidation," said Carol Lewis, who was a professor of transportation studies at Texas Southern University for 33 years before retiring in May. "That slows you down a little bit. So all that rolls into the traffic."
Lewis said fewer children walk or bike to school today compared to decades ago, in part because of suburban sprawl, school consolidations and concerns about child safety.
"All of that plays into the decisions we make and our travel patterns," Lewis said. "The way our cities are designed, the way we live."
But the combination of more driving and children near streets raises the risk of injury.
"I drop off my kid in the morning, so on the first day of school, I see that people act weird," said Subasish Das, an assistant professor of civil engineering at Texas State University. "Some of the parents, they do a violation like a sudden U-turn. Maybe they stop in the mid-block and drop off their kid."
"These are risky behaviors, but to save time, some of the parents do it," he said.
In 2024, more than 1,100 crashes occurred in active school zones across Texas, according to a KUT News analysis of state data. Two were fatal, including a 14-year-old boy killed in Dallas.
To help reduce those risks, Austin voters approved a combined $47.5 million in 2016 and 2020 bonds to build � part of a broader international movement to encourage walking and biking, reduce childhood obesity and improve air quality.
The city has completed hundreds of sidewalk, crosswalk and signal upgrades. But many routes remain incomplete. In May, the Austin City Council directed city staff to come up with an updated plan and report back by Sept. 18.
"Every child deserves a safe, reliable way to get to and from school," said Council Member Paige Ellis, who authored the resolution calling for an update to the plan. "When our streets are safe for kids, they're safe for everyone."
