Carpool schedule template
A carpool schedule for the school run
Who drives in the morning, who collects in the afternoon, how many seats, and where to meet. Print one for every family’s fridge or download it to share.
Preview: School run rota
| Day | Drop-off (8:15) | Pick-up (3:10) | Seats free | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | Fatima | Jono | 3 | Swimming: pick-up from pool 4:30 |
| Tue 3 Nov | Jono | Mei Lin | 2 | |
| Wed 4 Nov | Mei Lin | Fatima | 3 | Early finish 2:10 |
| Thu 5 Nov | Carlos | Carlos | 4 | |
| Fri 6 Nov | Fatima | Mei Lin | 3 | Sport uniform day |
The printed version has 15 blank rows under the example ones. The download opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
Before the first morning
Four families from Kenmore Hills State School share the run for six children. Before they printed anything, they agreed three things: which gate, how late counts as late, and what happens if a child is sick. Write those in the note line. It saves a lot of messages later.
Count seats with booster seats in mind. A five-seat car with two boosters in the back often carries fewer children than you think. The Seats free column is there so nobody finds out at 8:10.
Sharing the driving fairly
Count drives, not days. Drop-off and pick-up are separate turns, and pick-up usually costs more: it falls in the middle of the working day. Over a term, look at who has done the most afternoons and move them to mornings.
- List each family and the days they genuinely can’t drive (work, other children’s sport).
- Give the hardest slots out first: Wednesday early finish, Friday afternoons.
- Then go round the families in turn for the rest.
- Recheck at the start of each term, when work rosters and after-school activities change.
If one family has a bigger car and drives more often, say so out loud and agree it. Unspoken imbalance is what ends most carpools. The school run guide goes through the conversation step by step.
A school run rota on everyone’s phone
Fridge copies drift. One family prints the new term’s sheet, another is still on last term’s. In FairTurns, Drop-off and Pick-up are two teams, since they run at different times, and each weekday repeats on its own (“Every week on Monday”). Fill shares the drives out, giving each to the family with the fewest turns, and parents mark the days they’re away so they’re left off. The roster sits on one link that every parent can open, with first names only. Free. When plans change, an organiser moves a family by hand and everyone sees the update on the link.
Questions
How many families make a good carpool?
Three to five. With two, one sick week breaks it. With more than five, each family drives so rarely they forget their day.
Can I use this carpool schedule template in Excel?
Yes. Download for Excel or Sheets and add a column for each child if you want to track who’s in which car.
What should go in the notes column?
Anything that changes the pick-up for that day: early finishes, sport, music lessons, a different pick-up spot.
Does it work for sport or weekend activities?
Yes. Change the column headings to the training times and it works for Saturday sport or Tuesday swimming just as well.
Read next
School run and car-pool
Morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups shared between families, with today’s driver on every phone.
How to set up a school run rota
Share the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up between families: who drives, which days, and what to agree first.
Team duties roster template
Parent duties for a junior sports team: oranges, scoring, goal umpire, jerseys and first aid.
Make your roster free
Click a day, add people, share one link. No card, no limit on people or dates.