The Challenge: Testing Students Across 36+ Sites in a Statewide Virtual School

Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) is one of Pennsylvania’s leading cyber charter schools, serving K–12 students across the state. While most coursework happens online, the school faces a unique logistical challenge every spring: ensuring thousands of students can attend mandatory, in-person state testing sessions held at more than 36 geographically distributed testing sites.

“For most of our students, transportation isn’t something the school has to think about day-to-day,” said Bob Brown, Supervisor of State Testing at PALCS. “But for testing, we have to bring the students to us, or more accurately stated, bring us to them.”

That task proved particularly difficult for students experiencing homelessness (under McKinney-Vento) and those with special education needs who require transportation written into their IEPs. Families in both urban and rural areas often lacked reliable transportation or the flexibility to make long-distance drives during the testing windows in April and May.

“We had parents who wanted to get their kids to testing but simply couldn’t leave work, or didn’t have a car,” Brown said. “We needed a safe, reliable, and school-approved way to get students where they needed to be.”

The Solution: Flexible, Vetted Transportation Through EverDriven

In 2020, PALCS partnered with EverDriven, the nation’s leader in alternative student transportation. Through EverDriven’s TripCentral, PALCS staff can easily schedule rides for eligible students: coordinating pick-ups, drop-offs, and tracking trips in real time.

The partnership began with a focus on McKinney-Vento and special education students but has since expanded to help more families statewide, even beyond the annual spring testing.

EverDriven’s fleet of certified drivers — each rigorously vetted, background-checked, and specially trained to transport students — ensures every ride meets the highest safety standards.

“Our students might see a driver with an Uber sticker on the window, but it’s not a rideshare,” Brown explained. “During non-school hours, they may pick up rides for other rideshare services, but these drivers are certified student transportation providers who go through intensive safety and compliance checks. That peace of mind is huge for our families.”

When last-minute needs arise, such as a student calling the morning of a test without a ride, EverDriven’s quick-response team makes it possible to arrange transportation in minutes. “It’s been a huge help,” Brown said. “I can log in, set up a trip, and have the student on their way within minutes.”

The Results: Meeting Students Where They Are

By combining EverDriven’s flexible model with its mission to meet students where they are, PALCS has transformed a major logistical challenge into a success story.

• Statewide access: Students across rural and urban Pennsylvania can attend required testing sessions safely and on time.
• Equitable access: Homeless and special education students no longer face transportation barriers that prevent participation in mandatory testing.
• Operational simplicity: PALCS staff use a single portal to manage all eligible student trips, ensuring accountability and efficiency.

“EverDriven helps us fulfill our responsibility to the state and our students,” Brown said. “It’s not just about compliance. It’s about making sure every student has a fair chance to show what they’re learning.”

Looking ahead, PALCS plans to expand EverDriven’s use beyond testing to support a wider range of student needs. This is an important next step for a school built around accessibility and inclusion.

“Our CEO always says our mission is to meet students where they are,” said Brown. “EverDriven helps us do exactly that — literally.”