What changed for 2026-27
After voters turned down a 5.6-mill levy in May, Tallmadge City Schools moved to Ohio's minimum transportation for 2026-27 (WKYC, July 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). In plain terms: no bus for Tallmadge High School students, and no bus for elementary or middle school students who live within two miles of Tallmadge Elementary or Tallmadge Middle. News 5 Cleveland put the high school number at about 800 students (opens in a new tab).
Tallmadge bus rules: who still rides
| Grade band | Distance rule | How it's measured | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| K-8 | More than 2 miles from Tallmadge Elementary or Tallmadge Middle | Not stated. Route planning adds a 0.2-mile buffer so families right at the line aren't cut off by rounding. | Pickup and drop-off at the home address only, with no alternative stops. Routes run at or near capacity, so a bus on your street doesn't promise a seat. |
| High school | No bus | Career-tech students still get a bus to their program, but must get themselves to the high school to catch it. | |
| Private and charter K-8 | No district bus | Payment in lieu of transportation, if the state's requirements are met. The form is on the transportation page. |
Source: the district's June 3 letter to families (opens in a new tab) and transportation page (opens in a new tab), checked October 15, 2026.
If there's no bus
Ask first. If you think your child should be eligible and got no route, the district's letter asks you to contact the superintendent's office for a review. District office: 330-633-3291.
Then transit. The district's letter and transportation page don't mention one. Ask the district office before you rule it out.
Then a carpool.
Finding families
Start with your street. Every Tallmadge family is driving to the same three buildings: one elementary, one middle, one high school. The kids on your street aren't at a different school across the county. They're in your kid's grade. The district's letter said what parents already knew: some neighborhoods don't have sidewalks. Those streets are where to start.
Carpool ideas for one town and three schools
- Neighborhoods without sidewalks first. If walking means the shoulder of a road, a rotation of two or three families on the same street takes that walk off the table.
- High schoolers are the new drivers. A Tallmadge High junior with a license can take the younger kids on the way. Check Ohio's limit (below) first.
- Fold in practice. The families who share the morning drop-off can share the after-practice pickup too: same kids, same calendar. Add the pickup to the same carpool in Carpool-Q, and the family listed as driver gets a reminder before it, if they've turned on notifications.
- Plan the snow day. Agree before December whose car takes the walkers on a bad Northeast Ohio morning, and how the group finds out.
Start with a free printable carpool schedule (no account needed).
Morning drop-off, a teen at the wheel, practice at 5. Put the week in one place.
- One shared week on every family's phone, with a driver for each drop-off and pickup.
- Mark a rider "not riding" for a day, or swap a day, and every family sees it.
- If tomorrow has no driver, the whole carpool gets an alert the evening before.
Each family starts with 14 days free. You invite the others by email or a text from the app.
The November 3 vote
Issue 9 on the November 3, 2026 ballot is a 1% tax on residents' earned income, starting January 1, 2027 (Signal Akron, September 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). The superintendent has said the district hopes to bring busing back next year, but that funding may not allow it. Plan this school year on the current rules, and ask the district what the result means for 2027-28.
Each family has its own account: 14 days free, then $1.99 a month per family. You invite the other families by email or a text from the app.
Not ready for an app? Get the free printable carpool schedule (no account needed).
Carpool-Q is not affiliated with Tallmadge City Schools. Facts on this page come from the district's letter and website and the news reports linked above, for the 2026-27 school year, checked October 15, 2026. Next check: July 2027, and after the November 3 vote.