Just like the 2023-24 school year, six schoolchildren died from injuries in five states while getting on or off their school bus. 

Keith Dreiling, Kansas' state transportation director, presented this year's annual report during the 2025 National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16.

This year, data comes in from 47 U.S. states. New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia did not participate.

Details of the Fatalities 

• Missouri: After a 9-year-old girl unloaded, the bus began a left turn while she ran alongside it. She was struck and killed by the left-rear wheels.

• Texas: A 5-year-old boy was running to catch the bus. While he was in front of the bus, it pulled away from the stop, and the left front wheel struck him.

• Wisconsin: A 5-year-old boy got off the bus at school. He dropped an item under the bus and crawled to retrieve it. He was struck and killed by the left rear dual wheels.

• Massachusetts: A 5-year-old boy got off his bus as it moved forward, striking and killing him with the left-front wheel.

• Louisiana: As a 6-year-old boy was running to catch the bus, it pulled away from the stop as he was still in front. The right front and right rear dual wheels struck and killed him. In the same state, a 7-year-old boy was in front of his bus after unloading when it pulled away and struck him by the right wheels.

Dreiling said that in some cases, the school bus driver was not aware that they had hit a child. As a result, the team in Kansas plans to remind schools to review their loading/unloading procedures, he told attendees.

Stats from the Same Fatalities

• All fatalities this year were attributed to a school bus vs. other vehicle. Four were Type Cs, one was Type A, and one was Type D.

• Two children were killed while behind the bus; four were in front. 

• Half were on the way to school; half were on the trip home.

• One occurred on school grounds; the rest were at bus stops. Two of the latter were in the morning, and three were in the afternoon.

• Half the fatalities occurred on a Thursday; the others were on a Monday, Tuesday, and a Friday.

• Two happened in April; one in August, one in November, one in January, and one in March. 

• Five occurred on clear days in daylight; one was on a cloudy, dark day. The roads were dry on all days.

• Four were in urban environments; two in rural.

About the Report

Throughout 55 years tracking this data, 1,279 fatalities have occurred. In that time, 73% (934 fatalities) occurred among students 9 years old or younger.

Over the past 10 years, between two and eight children have died each year from loading and unloading injuries. 

Find the full report online here and past surveys on Kansas' website.

The annual National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey is a report compiled by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), in collaboration with NASDPTS. Only fatalities involving school children in or around the loading or unloading areas of a school bus are included.