TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The first week of school has begun for students in the Marana Unified School District. But some families living in Three Points are raising concerns after the district reduced bus pickup locations for students attending Marana High School.
For the 2026-27 school year, Marana Unified School District eliminated more than 20 bus stops for students living in the Three Points and Altar Valley area, leaving just two pickup locations: San Joaquin and Ursa, and Sandario and Snyder Hill.
One of those pickup locations, at Sandario and Snyder Hill, has become a gathering point for dozens of students.
Danielle Kuhn, whose children attend school in Marana through Open Enrollment, said she worries about the number of students waiting along a road with a 50 mph speed limit.
“I had two kids that have been to Marana now. I went to Marana when I was a kid, but it's ridiculous how this is all playing out now because it's not our fault we can't live in district," Kuhn explains, "and it’s kind of scary, actually.”
One student waiting at the bus stop said the uncertainty surrounding transportation has her questioning what comes down the road.
"If they keep cutting these routes and I keep having to come here, I'm just gonna have to transfer schools, or I'm just gonna have to start homeschooling because my mom does not like driving at all," student Shania Curry explains.
Curry says walking to this bus stop is not an option for her; she has to get a ride there.
Marana Unified School District said approximately 40 students are affected by the changes.
District officials said they surveyed impacted families in May 2026, then communicated the changes through email and hard-copy letters in April and May. Based on parent feedback, the district said it determined that two buses were needed and began the school year with two buses serving the route at Sandario and Snyder Hill.
If buses become overcrowded, the district said resident students will receive priority. If a bus reaches its legal capacity, students attending through Open Enrollment from outside the district may have to find their own transportation if the district is unable to add another bus.
Kuhn said that possibility is frustrating for her family.
"If they rejected my kid from getting on the bus, I'm actually gonna take my kid to the school and raise hell," Kuhn says, "and tell them, hey, he's been in the Marana district since first grade. Yes, he's out of school in enrollment. But he's been going there since first grade. Why can't you accept him now and have the transportation for him?”
The Marana district said there is no formal agreement with Altar Valley School District to provide transportation. Because Altar Valley does not have a high school, students may choose to attend Marana High School, Flowing Wells High School or Cholla High School.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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