Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is paying nearly $2 more per gallon for diesel than last year. The increase is squeezing a transportation budget that keeps almost 1,600 buses running daily across McLean, Langley and every other pyramid in Virginia's largest school division.

Those buses log about 85,000 miles a day, carrying roughly 130,000 students. Diesel averaged $6.38 a gallon statewide as of Sept. 23, according to AAA data reported by WSLS. For McLean High School and Langley High School families who depend on bus service, the cost of every route has climbed sharply since the school year began.

FCPS does not pay public pump prices.

The district buys fuel through a consortium with Fairfax County's Department of Vehicle Services. But consortium rates follow the same market. FCPS told WTOP it is paying about $2 more per gallon on average this school year compared with last year, and $1.23 more per gallon in mid-September than in July. If the transportation office cannot absorb the shortfall, the district said it will draw on reserve funds. FCPS has not disclosed the size of those reserves or the total dollar gap.

Economists tie the surge to the war with Iran. Bob McNab, an economist at Old Dominion University, told Virginia Business the spike stems from disruptions to global oil supplies, the civil war in Yemen and reduced U.S. refining capacity. "If you constrain supply, then global oil prices are going to increase," McNab said in the Sept. 25 Virginia Business report.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz took about 20% of the world's oil off the market, according to S&P Global Energy analyst Debnil Chowdhury, cited by ABC News. Nationally, diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon on Sept. 4 and has climbed daily since, reaching $6.53 by Sept. 22, according to AAA data reported by AL.com. Virginia's average stood at about $6.375 on Sept. 25, roughly 78% higher than a year earlier.

Neighboring districts are feeling the same pressure. Loudoun County Public Schools paid $35,000 more in diesel the week of Sept. 21 than during the first week of school in August, WTOP reported. Prince William County Public Schools estimated $83,212 in extra fuel costs in the first month alone.

The Fairfax County School Board unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2027 budget in May. No public discussion of a mid-year fuel adjustment has appeared on the board's agenda as of Sept. 29.