As students head back to school, daily routines shift for families across the US. Parents return to the road for drop-off and pick-up, and newly licensed teens join the morning commute. These new routines create a riskier driving environment around schools.

We wanted to understand how driving behavior around schools changes once school’s back in session.

We analyzed distracted driving around 32 schools across the country to measure how distraction changed when the 2025 school year began. In this analysis, distraction is defined as the rate of phone-tapping events per 100 miles driven on roads surrounding each school. For each school, we compared weekday distraction rates during the four weeks before and after its start date, then averaged the results across all 32 schools to measure the back-to-school impact. The sample included an even mix of elementary and high schools, urban and non-urban schools, and locations across the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.

We tailored the analysis area to each school’s layout. In denser areas, we looked at nearby streets and intersections. At more suburban schools, we focused on the main roads leading to school entrances.

The biggest change in distraction occurred in the early morning. Across the 32 schools, distraction increased an average of 45.6% between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. after school began.

But the size and timing of that increase varied considerably by school type, urban setting, and region.

Distraction increases most before the first bell

To see how distraction changed once school was back in session, we divided the weekdays into four periods: 6:00–8:00 a.m., 8:00–11:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., and 2:00–4:00 p.m.

The morning drop-off period saw the largest increase. Between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., distraction increased 45.6% compared with the four weeks before school started. Distraction remained elevated through the late morning, up 39.3% between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m.

By midday, this increase tapered off. From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., distraction was 1.7% above baseline.

The morning pattern didn’t repeat during afternoon pickup. Between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., distraction fell an average of 2% below baseline. But breaking the data down further revealed differences by school type and location.

Schools outside cities see a sharper morning increase than urban schools

We also looked at how distraction varied between urban and non-urban schools. Our sample included 16 of each, based on National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) classifications, the primary statistical agency of the US Department of Education. Urban schools were located within a principal city, while the non-urban group included suburban, town, or rural schools.

The biggest difference came in the early morning. Between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., distraction rose 55.8% around non-urban schools, compared to 35.5% around urban schools. From 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., the pattern reversed. Distraction around urban schools jumped 52.7%, more than double the 25.8% increase around non-urban schools.

After 11:00 a.m., distraction fell 7.3% below baseline at urban schools, but stayed 10.8% above baseline at non-urban schools. By afternoon pickup, the pattern flipped again. Distraction around urban schools sat 4.5% above baseline, while non-urban schools were 8.6% below it.

The difference in back-to-school road risk throughout the morning may come down to how people travel in each community. In non-urban areas, longer distances and greater reliance on cars may lead to more driving around school arrival times. In cities, morning school traffic blends with commuters, pedestrians, and public transit. 

Elementary schools see 6x the morning increase of high schools

An even larger gap emerged when comparing elementary and high schools. Between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., distraction around elementary schools increased 78.2% after school returned, roughly six times the 13% increase around high schools. The gap remained wide through the late morning, with distraction up 64.9% around elementary schools compared with 13.6% around high schools.

Elementary schools also stood out during afternoon pickup. Although distraction was flat in the overall analysis between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., breaking the results out by school type revealed that elementary schools were 9.1% above baseline, while high schools were 13.2% below it.

How students get to and from school may help explain the difference. Elementary students are more likely to rely on adults for transportation, making drop-off and pickup a bigger part of the daily driving routine. High school students have more transportation options and may arrive and leave at different times.

The Northeast sees the largest early-morning increase

The back-to-school impact also varied by region too. Schools in the Northeast saw the largest early-morning spike, with distraction rising 80.5% between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. After 8:00 a.m., distraction fell below baseline,before ticking up 3.3% during afternoon pickup.

The Midwest saw a more sustained increase. Distraction rose 42.8% from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. and 26.3% from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., then remained 3–5% above baseline through the afternoon.

Schools in the South followed a similar morning pattern, with distraction up 53.4% from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. and 29.7% from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., before returning roughly to baseline by early afternoon.

The West stood out. Distraction increased just 5.8% from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m., then surged 104.2% between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. — the largest increase of any region or time period analyzed. By the afternoon pickup period, distraction had fallen 20% below baseline.

Despite these regional differences, the largest jumps in distracted driving occurred before 11:00 a.m. across all four regions. Differences in school schedules, commuting patterns, and local traffic conditions may help explain why the timing and magnitude of those morning increases varied.

Back to school is a reminder to pay attention

Across locations, school types, and regions, the data points to a clear rise in distracted driving around schools during the morning. As families settle into a new school year, it’s a timely reminder that paying attention matters just as much on the road as it does in the classroom.

The following schools were included in this analysis: