New Braunfels ISD has updated campus bell schedules for the 2026–2027 school year in an effort to improve transportation efficiency and maximize instructional time for students. District leaders say the proposed update focuses on aligning elementary school bell schedules while keeping middle and high school schedules unchanged.

Presenting at the March 16th Board Meeting, NBISD Director of Transportation Cesar Flores said that aligning elementary schedules will help improve the timing and reliability of bus routes across the district. Currently, varying elementary dismissal times create overlap during peak routing windows, which can make it more difficult for buses to operate on schedule. By aligning these schedules, the district can better support transfer routes for Pre-K students, Emergent Bilingual students who attend Voss Farms and Carl Schurz, and other specialized transportation services.

As of the 2025–2026 school year, district transportation operates on a tiered system in which elementary campuses are picked up and dropped off first, followed by middle schools and then high schools. The afternoon schedule follows the same order. However, varying elementary bell schedules can sometimes create transportation backlogs, which may result in students arriving late to school in the morning or departing middle school campuses later than intended in the afternoon.

To address these challenges, the district formed a Transportation Committee made up of campus principals, assistant principals, and a graduate of the District Ambassadors program who volunteered to assist with the work. The committee met to review transportation data, evaluate potential scheduling options, and consider how adjustments could better support students, staff, and families.

Following its review, the committee recommended aligning elementary school schedules to strengthen on-time transportation performance and support more dependable transfer bus operations across the district.

District officials believe that it is designed to support reliable transportation service while maintaining consistency for families and campuses. Additional information will be shared with families as the process moves forward through ParentSquare, Social Media and news media.