Randomized design evidence of the attendance benefits of the EPA School Bus Rebate Program

Abstract Approximately 25 million children ride buses to school in the United States. While are safest transport from an accident perspective, older often expose students high levels of diesel exhaust. Because these exposures can adversely impact health, which may lead more missed school, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spent millions dollars hasten transition bus fleets cleaner vehicles. Here, we leveraged randomized allocation EPA’s 2012–2017 School Bus Rebate Program funding causally assess district attendance impacts upgrading buses. Districts randomly selected for had greater improvements after lottery than unselected districts, resulting over 350,000 estimated additional student days each year (95% confidence interval = −70,678 772,865) due use EPA funds. Attendance were greatest when oldest replaced and districts with ridership on applicant Extrapolating our results nationwide, expect that replacement all pre-2000 model would 1.3 per 247,443 2,406,511). Given importance educational success, conclude increasing pace at older, highly polluting positively attendance.