As the Houston Independent School District (HISD) gears up for the 2025-26 school year, a significant shift in transportation for high school students marks one of the primary changes. A new partnership between HISD and METRO offers a boon to eligible high schoolers who can now hop on public transit at no cost. According to a report by Click2Houston, students who meet specific criteria can get their hands on a METRO Q® Card which will allow them to ride local buses, METRORail, and curb2curb services for free. This initiative is set in place to make getting to school less of a financial burden for families and more accessible for students.
From next week, when the academic year kicks off, HISD also plans to quickly propose school closures and host trustee elections. This comes on the heels of their contentious state takeover, as the district seeks improvement after a significant reduction in enrollment numbers. High schoolers getting the free METRO ride must live more than two miles away from their zoned school, participate in specific programs, or live on routes considered hazardous. As per the Houston Chronicle, HISD officials, including Kari Feinberg, HISD's chief of organizational effectiveness, aim to put a lid on maximum ride times—setting targets of 50 minutes for those zoned and 80 minutes for magnet program students.
This year, HISD is also working to cut student ride times and transportation costs, shown by the 2024 decision to remove many students from bus routes. In response to ongoing drops in enrollment, the district has launched a new system that lets parents contact the transportation department directly, without going through individual schools.
