Student Transportation Allocation Reporting System (STARS)

The Student Transportation Allocation Reporting System (STARS) is used for the distribution of operations funding for school district transportation and for providing an evaluation of relative efficiency.

Funding reports and Efficiency Ratings are released at the end of February each year and are found at the links below.

Operations Allocation Detail Report 1026A

School district transportation operations funding for the 2022-23 school year.

Efficiency Detail Reports

Annually, the efficiency of each school district's transportation operations is rated using a statistical process (Data Envelopment Analysis) that uses data returned from STARS and other available data that describe the district characteristics.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

While not directly related to the STARS efficiency rating system, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are a valuable resource for evaluating a school district's transportation operations.

Quarterly Reports

The student counts reports are the primary drivers of student transportation funding. School districts report student ridership counts and other data three times per year: Fall, Winter and Spring. Counts consist of combined AM + PM ridership.

Annual Non-Funding Reports

The reports below provide a statewide summary with district-level data shown on separate worksheets.

• School Bus Mileage Report
• School Transportation Fuel Report
• Homeless Transportation Report

STARS Reporting Reference Material

The following material is provided to assist school district in completing the required STARS reporting. The PowerPoint presentation used by regional transportation staff in the September ridership workshops is provided. It is important to note that the official reference for reporting consists of the Reporting Instructions and Detailed Guidance. Attempting to submit reports based solely on the material in the presentation is not recommended. Also provided is a link to the current WAC language.

• Reporting Instructions
• Detailed Guidance for Data Collection
• WAC 392-141 as adopted

Provided is a list of the route destinations currently available within the GIS application.

• Route Destinations

Other (Optional) Forms

Provided for optional use are a Fuel and Mileage Workbook (for the annual school bus mileage and transportation fuel reports) and a Student Count Workbook (to assist districts in identifying the best reporting period).

• Fuel and Mileage Workbook (optional)
• Student Count Workbook (optional)