Austria school commutes: Long travel times for secondary students

Calculations by Foresight, ORF, and APA reveal significant disparities in commute times to secondary schools across Austria. Students attending academic high schools (AHS) and vocational high schools (BHS) face much longer travel times compared to those attending primary or middle schools.

Carinthia reports the longest average travel times across nearly all school types. In Tyrol and Carinthia, the average drive to an AHS is approximately 18 and 17.7 minutes, respectively, while Upper Austria averages nearly 17 minutes. In certain rural municipalities, such as Kaisers, Steeg, and Sölden in Tyrol, and Lesachtal in Carinthia, commutes to secondary schools can exceed 50 minutes by car.

For BHS institutions, the longest average commutes are found in Carinthia and Lower Austria, both averaging nearly 18 minutes. In contrast, primary schools remain highly accessible, with most municipalities seeing short travel times, and the national average commute for such schools is significantly lower.