The projected total is more than 40% higher than the $12.7 million the district spent on bus diesel during the 2024-25 school year. Fuel-price increases added about $2.4 million to costs by the end of 2025-26, and the district expects another $2.9 million in fuel-related costs this school year.

The district said it plans to cover the increase through its central office budget. Its current fiscal outlook projects that volatile spending will continue through much of the 2026-27 school year.

Nevada’s average retail diesel price reached a record $6.87 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA, compared with $3.90 a year earlier. Although CCSD buys fuel in bulk and operates fueling stations at its urban bus yards and several smaller rural sites, it remains exposed to rising prices.

CCSD operates about 1,900 vehicles and says its fleet is the largest owned and operated by a U.S. school district. The vehicles include specialized buses and standard buses that can carry as many as 84 students. The fleet travels more than 30 million miles annually.

The district has four electric buses and is acquiring 25 more using a federal grant, along with charging infrastructure being developed with NV Energy. The electric vehicles remain a small share of the overall fleet.

A school-district efficiency study presented to the school board in June identified potential savings of about $79 million annually within five years, including as much as $18 million in transportation. The study proposed consolidating some of the district’s roughly 1,500 daily routes and requiring families to opt in for bus service. It said only about half of eligible students ride buses; students generally qualify if they live at least two miles from school, unless a hazardous walking route or a special education plan applies.

The study’s transportation savings estimate focused largely on vehicle maintenance, which costs about $6,500 per bus each year. It did not include a fuel-savings estimate, saying that potential reductions could not be reasonably calculated.

CCSD said it does not anticipate significant route changes this school year and is considering how to implement the study’s recommendations next year while minimizing effects on students. The district’s second-largest counterpart in Nevada, Washoe County School District, expects to spend an additional $1.5 million on diesel this year.

Rising fuel costs have also become a point of debate in Nevada’s statewide political campaigns. At a Las Vegas campaign appearance, Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Sandra Jauregui criticized Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony over the effect of national and state policies on school budgets.

CCSD bus driver Talaya Dunn, who appeared with Jauregui, said rising costs affect both school budgets and working families. She said the additional money needed for bus fuel could otherwise go toward classrooms.