The Montgomery County R-II and Wellsville-Middletown R-I school districts turned in successful results in the annual school bus inspection reports for the 2025-26 school year, released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Montgomery County had a 91.7 approval rate with no out-of-service buses, while W-M had a 100 percent approval rate.

The annual school bus inspection report was released by Colonel Michael Turner, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The results were divided into three categories – approved, defective and out-of-service. Ninety of the buses in the state (10,239) that were inspected were approved.

There were 849 buses that were rated defective — which means one or more issues — upon initial inspection and 283 that were rated out-of-service. Last year, there were 799 defective buses and 312 out-of-service buses.

“Through the unified effort of Missouri State Highway Patrol personnel and pupil transportation professionals statewide, the successful inspection of over 11,000 school buses occurred in accordance with Missouri revised state statutes,” Turner said. “The annual inspection of school buses is one of many ways the Patrol, Missouri schools, and private pupil transportation companies work together to ensure the safety of children while they travel on school buses.”

Buses that were rated defective must be repaired within 10 days. For out-of-service buses, they must have their components corrected and must be reinspected by state highway patrol personnel.

W-M has eight buses. Superintendent Tiffany Gosseen said originally, the district had an out-of-service bus, but it was waiting for the delivery of new tires. With the installation of the new tires, W-M was given a 100 percent approval rate for the second year in a row.

“Our bus drivers do an excellent job identifying issues before they become problems through thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections,” Gosseen said. “The part-time assistance we continue to get from John Howell is invaluable to ensuring our buses are safe and reliable for transporting our students.”

The R-II school district has 24 buses, 22 of them being approved. Two of its buses were rated defective. Its approval rate increased from 74 percent last year.

“After reviewing the school bus inspection results, I learned that Schwartz School Bus Services received a Fleet Excellence Award,” first-year R-II Superintendent Dave Samuel said. “Based on the outcome of the inspections, I am pleased with the results.”

The results from the neighboring school districts include: Gasconade R-I (90.4 percent), Wright City R-II (97.1 percent), Community R-VI (73 percent), Warren County R-III (92 percent), Mexico 59 (80 percent) and Van-Far (57 percent).