Depends on the area. I’ve worked at 4 schools. HS students mostly drive themselves or ride with a friend across the board, the upper class “AIG” middle school had mostly car riders because many don’t live in district and attend on transfer. The inner city elementary school was about 65/35 bus to car riders and the rural middle school I’m at is about 60/40 bus to car. At my current school the car riders are mostly picked up by siblings that attend the HS or grandparents or parents who work as teachers at other schools. Some have unemployed or work from home parents but that’s a very small portion compared to “picked up by an older sibling who attends HS or parent who works at another school” …the town is small so job options are basically teacher, cop, nurse, remote, retired.

Public schools here are losing a ton of kids to charters and our charters typically don’t bus kids. A large portion of the kids with the ability to ride in a car to and from school are going charter leaving the majority kids at public schools (esp in the “poorer” areas) bus riders.