Dear Holliston Families and Community Members,
We want to share a quick update on bus routes and school start times as we settle into the new school year.
Bus rides are shorter – average rides are about 30 minutes now (down from 45 minutes last year).
No one is being picked up before 6:45 AM – last year, almost a third of students were.
Elementary students are arriving much closer to start time, avoiding long waits before school begins.
| 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 | |
| Average Route Length | 45 min (6 buses at 60 min) | 30 min (0 buses at 45 min) |
| Earliest Pick-Up Time | 6:30 | 6:52 |
| % of Pick-ups before 6:45 AM | 32% | 0% |
| % of Pick-Ups after 7:00 AM | 32% | 88% |
| Latest Elem Arrival by Week 2 | +20 min | +1 min |
Why We Made These Changes
As a result of the change in start times for 2025/26, the central office administration has been leading the effort to ensure seamless execution while keeping our goal targets in sight. Since then, the central office administration worked closely with our bus company, local officials, and our routing software provider to:
Push pick-up times later wherever possible,
Keep ride lengths shorter, and
Limit the impact on after-school activities at HHS and RAMS.
We want to thank our district administrators, Placentino and Miller leadership and staff, and our bus drivers for supporting a safe and successful start to the school year.
What Changed Since Day 1?
On September 4th, all buses began running 5 minutes earlier.
A week prior, four buses were shifted 10 minutes earlier (a total of 15 minutes earlier than the start of the year).
We know even small shifts can feel big for families, but these adjustments were made to help buses run more smoothly and get students to school on time.
What’s Next?
We’ll keep monitoring the routes and making small tweaks as needed. The goal remains the same: safe, efficient transportation that gives students more rest in the morning and smoother days overall. We will be following up with additional updates on the positive impact of Woodland St. reopening and overall traffic patterns from the reduced bus runs.
Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to improve transportation for Holliston students!
— Holliston School Committee
