From Tribal Land to the Florida Panhandle: How Rural Districts Are Electrifying Their Fleets
In 2020, only 17% of school districts with electric buses on order were in rural areas. By 2025, that number had reached 36%, according to the World Resources Institute. The growth isn’t accidental. Rural districts are finding that electric school buses fit their operations better than most people expect, and in some cases, better than the suburban and urban fleets that got the early headlines.
Highland partners with more than 20 rural districts across 13 states, from sovereign tribal land in northern Minnesota to farming communities in southern Illinois to the Florida panhandle. These districts are running daily routes, handling real winters, and the savings is showing up in district operating budgets.
How Rural Districts Are Funding Electric Fleets
For rural districts, transportation budgets are often disproportionately large and disproportionately squeezed. Hardin County CUSD #1 in southern Illinois is the state’s least populous county. About 535 students attend the district’s schools, and 90% of them ride the bus. Transportation accounts for 12% of the total budget, nearly three times the national average. Every dollar saved on fuel and maintenance is a dollar that can go to classrooms.
Hardin County secured a $4.74 million EPA Clean School Bus award and deployed 12 electric buses with Highland. “We were ecstatic to hear that we were a recipient of the Clean School Bus Rebates,” said Superintendent Andy Edmondson. “This will positively impact our school for years to come.”
Hardin County’s experience reflects a broader pattern. The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program has been a major driver of rural adoption, and Highland has helped districts across the country secure more than $525 million in federal, state and utility grants and incentives. The next round of federal funding is expected to be highly competitive, and districts that start planning now — understanding their routes, infrastructure needs, and available state and utility incentives — will be best positioned when applications open. Highland’s grant team works with districts on that preparation well before deadlines hit.
Electric School Buses on Long Rural Routes
The most common concern in rural settings is range. Current electric school buses offer 100 to 210 miles of range for Type C models, while the national average route length is approximately 32 miles. Even where routes run longer than average, the margin is substantial.
KWRL Transportation Cooperative in Washington state — a partnership between the Kalama, Woodland, Ridgefield, and La Center school districts — puts 14 electric buses on the road covering almost 600 miles per day. The cooperative model lets four small districts share infrastructure and operational costs, with estimated annual savings of approximately $200,000 in fuel and maintenance.
Dixie County Public Schools in Cross City, Florida went further — they replaced their entire 23-bus diesel fleet in a single deployment, funded by a $9 million EPA Clean School Bus award. The results after 17 months of operations: more than 392,000 miles logged, over 35,400 trips completed, and 100% vehicle uptime — zero days out of service — across 262 tracked days. Many of the diesel buses Dixie County retired were more than 25 years old, and most lacked air conditioning.
Cold weather performance is the other question rural districts ask. Red Lake School District #38 sits on sovereign tribal land in northern Minnesota, where winter temperatures drop well below zero. The district’s roughly 1,700 students ride buses on routes that stretch 30 miles or more, with individual rides lasting over an hour. Red Lake now operates five electric buses, funded through the EPA Clean School Bus Program at zero cost to the district and the buses complete their routes through Minnesota winters without issue.
What Makes Rural Electrification Work
Rural districts face challenges suburban ones don’t: longer distances between depots and service centers, smaller maintenance staff, limited utility infrastructure. Highland’s role is to close those gaps.
Highland handles utility interconnection and depot electrification so charging infrastructure is reliable from day one. Local drivers, mechanics, and staff get hands-on training to confidently operate and maintain the fleet. Route optimization and charge management account for longer rural runs and keep energy costs low. And in communities where grid resilience matters, Highland deploys vehicle-to-grid technology so buses can send power back during storms and extreme weather.
The districts Highland works with in rural communities consistently point to that end-to-end support as the reason the transition works. Red Lake’s Superintendent Tim Lutz put it simply: “Highland was a great partner and still is. Since we received the buses, the community has been very supportive. We’re providing a service — not just transportation, but clean transportation. And the motivation behind that is, why not lead the way?”
Willie Larson, Red Lake’s Business Manager, was equally direct: “To be perfectly honest, it was turnkey. Everyone that I spoke to that worked with Highland said they would do it again and again and again with them. They’re checking in. They’re asking questions. They’re willing to help.”
That kind of partnership — showing up, staying involved, and meeting districts where they are rather than asking them to fit a model built for someone else — is what makes rural electrification work in practice.
Key Takeaways
- Rural districts now represent 36% of all U.S. districts with electric school buses on order, up from 17% in 2020, according to the World Resources Institute.
- Current electric school buses offer 100–210+ miles of range, while the national average route length is approximately 32 miles — leaving substantial margin even for longer rural routes.
- Highland partners with more than 20 rural districts across 13 states, with deployments operating in climates ranging from -9°F to 103°F.
- Dixie County, Florida replaced its entire 23-bus diesel fleet and has logged 392,000+ miles with 100% vehicle uptime over 262 tracked days.
- The next round of federal Clean School Bus funding is expected to be competitive. Districts that begin planning now will be best positioned when applications open.
Ready to explore what electric school buses could look like in your district? Schedule a conversation with Highland to walk through your routes, funding options, and next steps. You can also download our Rural Investment overview for a closer look at Highland’s rural deployment experience.
About Highland Electric Fleets
Highland Electric Fleets is North America’s leading provider of Electrification-as-a-Service. Founded in 2019, Highland partners with school districts, municipalities, and fleet operators to make the transition to electric fleets simple and affordable — with 1,200+ electric school buses under contract across 30+ states and Canada. Highland proudly serves as the Official Electric School Bus Provider of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA. Learn more at highlandfleets.com.
