Office Hours of Operation:
5:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Monday – Friday)

Address:
First Student Transportation/XCS Bus Depot
921 Yellowstone Rd.
Xenia, OH 45385

Phone: 937-372-3876
Fax: 937-877-5875

Location Manager – Michael Whitlock
Dispatch Coordinator – Katie Edwards
Safety Coordinator – Robert Davenport
Tech in Charge – Ryan Gass

Each school school year, all eligible* XCS students will automatically be routed for transportation for the first few weeks of school. Routes may be adjusted as enrollment changes and/or students choose not to use school busing. 

For non-XCS students eligible for busing, or XCS families who would like to request variance in their student's route, a parent/guardian may complete this request form.

Note that submitting a request does not guarantee that request can be fulfilled. Allow five (5) business days for requests to be processed. 

*For more information about eligibility, be sure to review the Busing FAQs section of this page.

Q: My child needs transportation to/from school. Do I need to apply for transportation?

A: No. All enrolled students who are eligible for transportation are automatically scheduled for a bus route at the beginning of the year.

Q: Are any students NOT eligible for transportation? 

A: Yes.  Students who attend Warner Middle School, Arrowood Elementary, Cox Elementary and Shawnee Elementary and live within one mile of their assigned building are not eligible for busing (this includes students in Kindergarten).  Note that students attending Tecumseh Elementary are eligible regardless of distance from the school, due to a lack of sidewalks in the neighborhood.

Xenia High School students who reside within 1.5 miles of the high school are not eligible for busing. 

Additionally, students who are open-enrolled do not qualify for busing.

Q: How do I get my child's route information for the year?

A: NEW for 2025! Your child’s route will be sent to you via ParentSquare, using Secure Document Delivery. Route information for the 2024-25 school year will be sent by Monday, August 18. The list, by Student ID number (no names), will also be available in the main office of your child’s building beginning Tuesday, August 19.

If you move into the district or change home address in the middle of a school year, your route information will be changed once the enrollment change has been processed.

Q: How does the timing work for stops?  

A: Drivers work hard to stay on schedule, but students should be at their assigned bus stop ≈5 minutes prior to scheduled pick-up time. Be aware that inclement weather and other unforeseen circumstances can affect arrival/departure times. 

Q: My child needs special accommodations for transportation. What should I do? 

A: If your student has an IEP and you have questions regarding accommodations, please contact your case manager directly. 

If you have questions or concerns about your student’s stop, please contact transportation at 937-372-3876. 
 

In partnership with First Student, the district has used the FirstView® app since 2022 to allow families to track their student's bus in real time throughout the day. The app allows parents to set up alerts to let you know when the bus is close, as well as turn on push notifications or email messages for any alerts about your student's bus. 

It is important for families to note that you must track your student by their route number, NOT their bus number. 

Note that you do not need to download an app if you do not have a smartphone. The app is accessible through your browser at the FirstView App site!

Using the FirstView® App

Review the FAQs About the FirstView App (PDF) to find answers to the most commonly asked questions. 

Once you are ready, use this Step-by-Step Guide (PDF) to help you set up your account. 

Having technical issues? Support for the app is available from FirstView by calling 888-889-8920 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (M-F), emailing their Customer Support at support@firstviewapp.com, or use the in-app “✉” button.

Students enrolled in chartered non-public or community schools may be entitled to pupil transportation services from the public school district of residence. Ohio law allows for Xenia Community Schools to determine the impracticality of transportation after consideration of a number of factors. Upon that determination, Xenia Community Schools is then permitted to offer payment-in-lieu of transportation to the parent/guardian.

Steps to Request Transportation Service 

1) The parent or guardian formally makes the request for transportation from the public school district of residence for a student enrolled in a chartered nonpublic or community school. This request should generally be made by the end of September for the year the individual is requesting payment. 

2) The public school district of residence must determine whether the requesting student meets the following eligibility requirements:

     a) He or she attends a chartered nonpublic or community school that is approved by Office of Community Schools for a sponsorship agreement or has a letter of intent to be approved;

     b) The chartered nonpublic or community school is greater than two miles from the student’s residence or a distance fewer than two miles established by local district policy for public school students. A public school district must apply the transportation policy of the district equally to students regardless of which schools they attend; 

    c) The chartered nonpublic or community school is fewer than 30 minutes from the collection point (public school building to which the students would be assigned if attending the public school designated by the district of residence for the student). The collection point is the public school building the student would be assigned to attend if the student was enrolled in the public school district. The 30 minutes is measured from the collection point to the unloading point at the chartered nonpublic or community school via the most direct route traveled by yellow school bus from the public school building to the chartered nonpublic or community school during normal transportation time; and 

    d) The chartered nonpublic or community school student must be enrolled in grades K-8. If the public school district provides transportation services as a matter of district policy for public school students in grades 9-12, the district must provide transportation to chartered nonpublic or community schools for students in grades 9-12.

In order to be eligible for payment-in-lieu of transportation, Xenia Board of Education and parents/guardians must complete several steps as follows:

• The parent/guardian must fill out the transportation request form. This form must be filled out for each new school year. 
• If the request is found to be impractical, the Board of Education will pass a resolution declaring transportation to be impractical.
• The Board of Education will then provide the parent/guardian with notification of that resolution and ask the parent to accept the determination.
• The parent/guardian must sign and return the payment-in-lieu contract to confirm their acceptance.
• At the conclusion of the school year, the parent/guardian must provide an attendance verification form signed by the principal of the attended school. 
• Payment is distributed by the end of July and may be prorated if student did not attend the full school year.

All completed forms should be dropped off or mailed to:
    Xenia Board of Education
    Attn: Business Office
    819 Colorado Dr.
    Xenia, OH 45385

If you have questions regarding this policy, please contact the XCS Business Office at 937-562-9002.