ISLA Transportation 

ISLA transportation is provided for a fee to families within our Transportation Boundaries defined below. Families who opt to ride the bus will be billed by the school as close to the beginning of the year as possible. Monthly payments or lump sum payments will be available. Busing is free in some situations, please check below to see if your student receives free busing. Scholarships are also available - see the scholarship section below.

ISLA’s school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:50 p.m. Buses aim to arrive at ISLA by 8:45 am and buses aim to depart from ISLA at 4:00 pm.

ISLA will provide bus service via Pride Transportation Company. ISLA will notify families of their stops and approximate time of pick-up and drop-off about 2 weeks before school starts. All stops within our boundaries will be neighborhood stops, meaning within walking distance and generally within a couple of blocks from the resident student’s home.  

If your student's bus is running late, you may check the parent app, Here Comes the Bus, which is available in the Apple and Google app stores. 

The ISLA Transportation Boundary is shown in red shading below and includes students who live east and north of 494, west of 35W/94, and south of 55. All of the Edina district, shown with green shading, is included by this boundary. There are portions of the Hopkins School District that are outside of the red ISLA Boundary and Legacy Riders (defined below) in those areas will continue to receive busing. .

Families of students who will not ride the bus will provide their own transportation to ISLA and will not be charged the busing fee.

Transportation Boundary (2023-2024)

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Transportation Fee

The 2023-2024 fee for bus riders is $585 per student for the year with a maximum household rate of $1170 per year. This is a flat rate regardless of whether

• the rider lives within the ISLA Transportation Boundary or is privately transported to an established stop
• the rider rides to/from different stops on different days
• the student rides to school only, from school only, or to and from school. 

Note: For your planning purposes, we anticipate another 20-30% increase in these fees for the 2024-2025 school year. See below for financial assistance options.

Legacy Riders

ISLA students who rode the bus in the 2019-2020 and/or 2020-2021 school years are Legacy Riders. Legacy Riders who reside outside of the red ISLA Transportation boundary, but within the Hopkins School District, will continue to receive a neighborhood bus stop. Younger siblings of Legacy Riders who live outside the ISLA Transportation Boundary and within the Hopkins district will be permitted to use their older siblings’ Hopkins district neighborhood bus stop while such older sibling remains an ISLA student riding the bus, but after the older sibling is no longer enrolled at ISLA, the younger sibling’s busing would be from a stop within the ISLA Transportation Boundary.

Free Busing Options

Edina In-district Residents

As Edina is the public-school district within which ISLA is located, all ISLA students who reside in the Edina School District two miles or farther from the ISLA school location are eligible for free bus transportation. 

Students who reside within two miles of the school’s location are eligible for fee-based bus transportation at the per student rate. The distance between a student’s home and the school will be measured by putting both the student’s address and the school address into Google maps and taking the shortest distance of routes returned.

Drive to an Established Edina District Stop Option

Any ISLA student who is privately transported to an established ISLA bus stop within the Edina School District is eligible for free bus transportation from that bus stop to the school. 

Any ISLA student who is privately transported to an established ISLA bus stop that is outside of the Edina School District is eligible for fee-based bus transportation at the per student rate.

Students who Qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch

Any ISLA student who has an approved application for the current year to receive free or reduced lunch is eligible for free bus transportation from within the Transportation Boundary. If the student lives outside of the boundary, they must be privately transported to an established bus stop. In this case, the student may qualify for some mileage reimbursement for the miles from the student’s home to the bus stop (see below).

Students with Special Education Related Services

Students with disabilities, who have transportation listed as a related service on the Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be transported per the student’s IEP.

Additional Financial Assistance

Mileage Reimbursement Program

Any ISLA student who qualifies as a member of a low-income family, does not live within the ISLA Transportation Boundary, and is privately transported to an established bus stop may qualify for some mileage reimbursement for the miles from the student’s home to the established bus stop. Please contact the school for more information.

Transportation Scholarships

The caregiver of any ISLA student may apply for a transportation scholarship. The scholarship is not based on income. Scholarships will depend on available financing from the school and/or fundraising and will be applied toward the busing fee. If the student does not live within the Transportation Boundary, the student must be privately transported to an established ISLA bus stop. Use this form to request a transportation scholarship: https://forms.gle/H5S31Ss6QuF4WjPJ8

Bus Behavior

Our 5th and 6th grade students are encouraged to assist our younger students on the bus. In the event that a student is acting in an inappropriate manner, the incident is reported by the bus driver to our Dean of Students, who will take necessary and timely action. If your child reports a problem to you, there are several steps you can take. If the problem affects the safety and well-being of others, it should be reported to the Dean of Students immediately by the student or parent. Otherwise, first help your child brainstorm ideas for handling the problem and offer lots of encouragement to try these ideas. If appropriate for your child’s personality, encourage them to talk to the driver about the situation. Finally, you may call the Dean of Students, and he/she will work with the appropriate parties to resolve the issue. 

Please remember - bus transportation is a privilege, not a right. The privilege will be withdrawn for inappropriate behavior. 

Rules for good behavior on the bus are:

• Enter and leave the bus in an orderly manner.
• Remain seated until the bus stops.
• Keep hands, feet, and other body parts to yourself.
• Use quiet voices and speak respectfully.
• Follow the directions of the bus driver.

Students are required to ride to/from their assigned bus stop. If a student needs to ride a different route or get off at a different bus stop, the family must notify the school via PickUpPatrol by 2:00 pm on the day of the change for an afternoon change. If a child is riding home with a friend, the friend’s parent must also notify the school of their agreement to the student getting off the bus with their child. 

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Transportation FAQ

Why will transportation costs go up after this year?
Transportation costs are significant. The actual cost to ISLA after state subsidies are subtracted is $1070 per rider. The ISLA finance committee has created a strategy to address this need. We anticipate another 20-30% cost increase to families next year in order to help make up this shortfall.

How was the transportation boundary drawn?
The ISLA Transportation Boundary was drawn when the school moved to Edina in 2021. ISLA was previously in the boundaries of the Hopkins School District. It was based on the geographical dispersal of ISLA students; to be more central to the Edina school building location; and to align with natural traffic barriers (i.e. highways). The boundary will be revisited over time to reflect changes in the geographical dispersal of the changing student body.

If you have additional questions, please email transportation@isla.school.

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