Is walking to school not a thing anymore?

[Annie G]

Walking is super common here. I live 3/4 mile from the high school and junior high and lots of kids walk. Not nearly as many walk to the elementary school- mostly I see parents dropping kids off. They probably figure it's easier to drop them off on the way to work. 

[EmilyGF]

Well we tend to prefer cycling or walking to driving whenever possible and normally don't view it as a time suck either, but from the perspective of a high school student who has to juggle classes, sports (through the school, thanks, not paid activities not that it should matter) and homework--and who has a healthy sleep 10 hour sleep schedule--yeah, that extra 1/2 hour + of trudging through snow with a heavy backpack is definitely wasted time and energy with no benefit. Can it be done? Of course. But I'd rather avoid it, have extra family time and less stress. I doubt that's weird.

 

I was a high schooler who did a sport, worked every weekend (as well as babysat), did mock trial, was in a choir that spent 15+ hours per week rehearsing, got straight As, and finished calculus in 10th grade, besides becoming fluent in a second language.

 

My dad drove me 60% of the way to school in the mornings and I usually walked home.

 

I still love walking. I don't find it a time waste but a way to stay healthy, both mentally and physically. I have my kids walk with me a lot because I still walk for transportation. But we've also made life decisions that allow us to walk a lot (such as spending probably $50K more for housing so that we and our kids can walk places safely).

 

Emily

[Lady Florida.]

It's common here for elementary and middle school kids to walk. My neighborhood is outside the 2 mile limit but if I happen do be driving around town at school start/end times I see a lot of kids walking. One high school isn't close to many residential areas so while some of those kids walk, most either drive or ride the bus. The other high school is in the middle of a residential area but I never have reason to be around there so I have no idea if any of those kids walk. I wouldn't be surprised if they do though.

[marbel]

Why is it up to the kids?

 

I'm pretty sure they would think more clearly if they had some exercise (especially on a nice brisk cold day) before school.

 

If my kids' school wasn't 5 miles away, I'd love for them to walk.

 

LOL, I don't have a dog in this fight, my kids never went to high school.   :-)

 

I just assume people have their reasons for doing what they do.  And of course some of the kids get their exercise in other ways.  

Edited September 6, 2017 by marbel

[catz]

At least here the kids that aren't walking aren't leaving school, getting in a car, going home and sitting on the couch doing nothing the rest of the night.  They're working, doing sports, have other obligations, etc.  With the early tween/teen start times here, it makes perfect sense to me that parents would drop kids by school on their way to work so everyone can sleep a little longer. 

 

Lots of kids do walk here, but more in the 15 minute or under range. 18-20 minutes is a more reasonable pace for a mile really.  When my son was in K and 1st and we were walking to school a little under a mile (probably .8)  it would take us close to that and I felt like I needed to allow more time to be safe.  If your kid had a legit 2 mile walk I would allow a good 40 minutes for most kids.  

[Jann in TX]

Very few walkers in my small town. Most schools are not in walking distance from any neighborhood-- and sidewalks do not exist except in our 'down town tourist square'.

 

When my older girls were in K and 1 (before our homeschool days) we lived in a city with a neighborhood elementary school.  It was 1/2 mile to the back playground from our house.  I walked my girls (except for the very few days it was raining hard)-- I would also pick up other kids along the way-- I was quite the mother duck and often had 10-20 kids following me by the time we got to the school (same for the way home).  Great exercise for the kids and me!  No bike riders allowed (weird rule but sidewalks were too narrow for the number of walkers and bike riders and no bike lanes so no bikes in street).

 

When I was in 1st grade I went to the local PS -- just under a mile.  I walked alone (school had staggered start times so my brother and sister left at different times than me)  , but we had sidewalks and crossing guards.  This was the Bay Area in CA and LOTS of other kids walking too... when we switched to a private school the three of us took public transportation (city bus) and then walked .5 miles.  One day we missed our bus connection and had to walk/run 1 mile-- a few cars stopped (plain to see we missed the transfer) and one man tried to force me into his car as I was not as fast as my siblings (plus we would have been paddled for being late to school!!!) --pretty scary!  I think this memory is why I ALWAYS walked my girls to school and back.

 

 

 

[ashfern]

The lack of sidewalks is an issue where I live (rural suburb). My neighborhood has a sidewalk on one side but the main road doesn't have sidewalks. The speed limit is 40 but most people go 55. I used to walk to school but I lived in a city with good sidewalks everywhere.

[gardenmom5]

for me - it was a safety thing. to get to the elementary school - was crossing a really busy street. and if I was going to walk them across that street - I might as well drive.

then I transferred them to an elementary school that was four miles away.

 

[TravelingChris]

There are some walkers to my local elementary school and there are some buses too but the great majority are driven to school.  It causes huge backups and I hate it.  My school district allocates buses for children who live two miles away but I don't know anyone who walks even one mile.  At the high school, all kids seem to get a car when they turn 16.  The high school expanded and lost parking spaces and it is a big problem in the neighborhood surrounding the school.  I think the younger kids in high school either get parents to drive or ride with an older friend or sibling.

[Ravin]

Our district has busing outside a certain zone. We live like .15 miles from the school (you can see the townhouse complex if you stand in front of the school and look right to the end of the block). DS has been walking TO school on his own since halfway through K last year. His teacher was resisting letting him walk home alone--the first form we sent saying he would walk "with family or on his own" was lost. I asked her about it, she both said she never saw the form (DS is adamant he handed it to her) and that I needed to talk to the principal. The principal said generally 1st are only allowed to walk with an older sibling. We were standing in front of the school and I said. "We live in that complex right there." So he conceded and said write a note for the teacher and it would be fine.

 

I'm pretty sure district policy is that once a child is mandatory school age (September after turning 6 I believe), you can't tell parents they can't have kids walk to/from school. Which jives with logic.

 

There is always an adult home when DS gets home (or at least DD), but him walking means DH not having to spend 15-20 minutes in a car line to pick him up (he's not physically up to the walk), so less interruption to his school day (he's a grad student) and one less interruption to DD getting HER schoolwork done, at least on Wednesdays.

 

DS was on board with it once I pointed out that walking would be faster than standing in line waiting.

 

 

[MysteryJen]

We live a 10 minute walk from the high school and my dd2 walks about once a week. Why? Well, she is dropped off in the morning when she is coming from morning practice (3 or 4 times a week) and is picked up about the same amount with food and gear ready to head to afternoon practice.

 

So she looks super lazy, but in reality, that is the last thing she is.

 

Tons of kids walk to the high school here.

[kewb]

We have walkers. We also have a lot of non walkers. Mostly due to distance from school and/or dropping off at before care because parents have to get to work.

[Bluegoat]

Yes, it is a good way to get some exercise.  But around here, high schools start at 7:30am.  So a kid walking two miles has to leave by 7:00, maybe a little earlier.  Or, the kid can drive (or be driven) and leave the house at 7:20.   20 minutes more sleep, 20 minutes time to eat a little breakfast (yeah, I know, probably most don't), maybe even 20 minutes to review for a test that day.   

 

So I'm not disagreeing, I'm just thinking about what it's like for the kid who has to do it.  Most kids are not going to think about the benefits of that 30-minute walk when they have other priorities.

 

I don't really expect the kid to think about the benefits.

 

I think the parents should think - lack of activity and obesity are some of the major killers in our culture, and if my kid doesn't get any exercise through things like walking places, I'm going to have to pay for him to spend an hour at the gym every day.

 

Like - if it was presented as a deal - a free hour of exercise and fresh air every day -  would that seem more appealing? Maybe what they need to do is make the parents pay for it, so it would have some value to them.

[HSmomof2]

Here there have to be sidewalks for kids to walk to school. We live in a planned community with schools within walking distance for most students, so most students here walk to school.

[Word Nerd]

I don't really expect the kid to think about the benefits.

 

I think the parents should think - lack of activity and obesity are some of the major killers in our culture, and if my kid doesn't get any exercise through things like walking places, I'm going to have to pay for him to spend an hour at the gym every day.

 

Like - if it was presented as a deal - a free hour of exercise and fresh air every day -  would that seem more appealing? Maybe what they need to do is make the parents pay for it, so it would have some value to them.

 

What do you mean make the parents pay for it? Pay for what? Most kids in our school are in sports and get lots of daily activity and exercise. The last thing I want or need is for the school or some other entity to presume to dictate how we get our kids to and from school. 

[Bluegoat]

What do you mean make the parents pay for it? Pay for what? Most kids in our school are in sports and get lots of daily activity and exercise. The last thing I want or need is for the school or some other entity to presume to dictate how we get our kids to and from school. 

 

It was a joke.

 

Sometimes it seems like people don't value things that are free.

[wintermom]

I see a lot of kids walking and biking, as well as a lot taking school buses. There also seems to be a good number of cars in the high school student parking lot. I also see lots of high school students taking public transportation.  There is also parents doing the "school run" driving their children either to or from school.  There are so many different choices of schools in our city that one can't assume a child attends the school in the neighbourhood. And students are often doing all kinds of before and/or after school activities. I'm guessing that most people do a combination of modes of transport over the years. 

 

My dc have always walked or biked when they've gone to the B & M schools close to us. I usually walk with them to exercise the dog as well as myself. ;)  The only time I drive them, is if they have an activity right after school. My dd is starting at a school further from us, and there is no school bus. She may end up taking the city bus, but I'm not sure how much time that will take as it's not a direct bus route.  She'd be able to bike in some seasons, but the winter months will be tougher.

[wintermom]

 

When my older girls were in K and 1 (before our homeschool days) we lived in a city with a neighborhood elementary school.  It was 1/2 mile to the back playground from our house.  I walked my girls (except for the very few days it was raining hard)-- I would also pick up other kids along the way-- I was quite the mother duck and often had 10-20 kids following me by the time we got to the school (same for the way home).  Great exercise for the kids and me!  No bike riders allowed (weird rule but sidewalks were too narrow for the number of walkers and bike riders and no bike lanes so no bikes in street).

 

 

Great job!!  Our city used to promote "Walking School Buses" but I don't see this as much anymore. I think the reality is that with the choices of schools in our city, there are fewer and fewer children attending schools in their immediate neighbourhoods. While daily physical activity is positive and beneficial to everyone, schools and cities need to think of additional situations where physical activity can occur. Within the school day seems much more obvious to me, and there are school that do this. 

[Wheres Toto]

Our school offers courtesy bussing even if you live across the street (a standard suburban street) from the school.  They cut it one year due to state budget cuts and the traffic was a nightmare, plus they had to pay a ton of crossing guards.   Our town has almost no sidewalks and mostly no shoulders, with lots of cyclists and traffic so except for those closest to the school (like within 3 blocks), it's not considered safe.

 

Kids in my neighborhood have to walk about 1/4 mile to the bus stop at the entrance to our neighborhood.  We're a dead end neighborhood where it can be hard to turn around.   I know other places where the buses basically stop every single block and the kids aren't even expected to walk off their property.   

[Carrie12345]

I never felt like walking was a time suck.  Even in the deep snow (snow belt survivor here).  I used to take the long way in order to enjoy the outdoors before school, watch the sunrise and entertain myself with my thoughts.  After school I walked for hours delivering papers in the same weather.  Now at 50 I enjoy walking for miles each day when I get a chance.  Targeting 3 miles per day, and I have a full-time job and busy kids and a house to take care of.  So no, I don't think walking to & from school is a time suck.  But then I was not over-scheduled with paid activities when I was a kid.

 

Oh, I did.  High school started before 7:30 for me. (I can't remember if it was 7:10 or 7:20.)  I never got anywhere near the amount of sleep I needed, and I was a "put myself to sleep by 9" kind of teenager.  Every extra minute counted!  I never even got to be one of those girls who put a bunch of time into hair and make up, because I needed sleep!

[2squared]

I like driving my kids, so I usually do if they want to go with me. Lots of kids walk right by our house, so I know walking is common. We don't have sidewalks, but I live in little Mayberry so sidewalks aren't needed.

 

Today I drove three, one walked, and one was picked up by her boyfriend. Yesterday four walked and one ride a bike. We are very random.

[Dmmetler]

not super-common here. I would say maybe 10% of the elementary kids seem to walk, even in a neighborhood school. A lot of the kids are going to after school care somewhere and are picked up by vans and buses for that. For high school and middle school, they aren't really all that walkable.

[SKL]

LOL I was definitely in the "not enough sleep" club in high school.  My mom sometimes woke me up by throwing a glass of water on me.

 

It's tough being a night owl!

 

I still liked walking to school.  I wish my kids could.

 

Anyhoo - different strokes for different folks.  I still think the drop-off and pick-up traffic arrangement is insane.  They should have multiple spots a block or two from school where different people could drop off / pick up vs. everyone converging on one lane at the same time.

[gingersmom]

We lived 2 miles from the high school and were considered walkers. It would have taken at least an hour to walk there. At least 1/2 the route had no sidewalks and very little room to walk on curb/grass. Add to that the weight of the average high school backpack, trudging through several feet of snow or rain. Crazy. No one walked, everyone who didn't drive was driven.

 

Right before we moved they did finally start bus service. Too little too late.

[MrsBasil]

We have school choice for all schools, several charters, a couple of private schools, and a couple of public schools that are lottery based.  I think it's just becoming less common to live in the neighborhood where your kids go to school, so it's not as common to walk to school.

[Guest]

Our schools don't have buses, so all the kids walk to the K-8 school, and the high school kids drive themselves. The state reimburses their mileage.

[Wabi Sabi]

In some of the parts of town where the schools are located in residential areas, yes, you see plenty of walkers and bike riders. The school my home is zoned for, however,  is not walkable. They would have to walk along a road with no shoulder or sidewalks and a 55mph speed limit until they reached a major 6 lane highway, cross it, and then walk a little while longer through a commercial/industrial area to get to the school. 

My oldest is attending school this year that is outside of our regular zoned school boundaries. His school is located in our downtown area, about 5 miles from home, and no bus transportation is available so I drive him. However, I don't like dealing with the car lines, so he is signed up as a walker. When school dismisses he walks to a nearby park or the public library that is a few blocks away, and I pick him up there. Many of his friends go to the library every day after school, so he prefers walking there with them and staying for an hour or two before he gets picked up.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Wabi Sabi

[Wabi Sabi]

I agree with this. A 2-mile walk to school with a heavy backpack takes, what, 1/2 an hour?   That's a lot of dead time for some (busy) kids.  (Aside from the benefit of the exercise.)    

Two miles in 1/2 an hour is a pretty brisk pace! I would certainly need more time than that if it was just me walking, and I'm not a 60 lb. kid with a 15 lb. backpack, a lunch, and an instrument!  That also doesn't take into account the fact that they would have to walk in the dark before sunrise in the winter. 

[poppy]

Lots of walkers in towns nearby, but the local district is too cheap / poor to pay crossing guards and it's not safe.

[Pen]

Have walking to school be a thing to put on college applications as a valuable extracurricular.

[cave canem]

  After reading the posts about so many factors that work against walking, I realize how conducive the geographical setup here is to walking.  Most of the other social/lifestyle factors aren't applicable to this population.  

  I have seen more students walking to/from the high school since my original post.  We are having a lovely fall.  

[Xahm]

Interesting that this popped up today, which is "walk to school" day around here. DD still has to be driven since we have no true neighborhood school. She goes to school in a different neighborhood, a thirteen minute drive away, the same distance as to the school we are distracted for. She is sorry she can't walk, as am I.

We are walking distance to the high school, at least for a high schooler, so maybe someday...

[SKL]

With school in full swing, I am reminded one more reason why walking 1-2 miles to/from school seems like a lot.  The weight of kids' textbooks!  Some of them are ridiculous.  I kinda feel sorry for my kids some days just lugging those millstones to the bus stop.  (But I still make them do it.)  :P

[MEmama]

With school in full swing, I am reminded one more reason why walking 1-2 miles to/from school seems like a lot. The weight of kids' textbooks! Some of them are ridiculous. I kinda feel sorry for my kids some days just lugging those millstones to the bus stop. (But I still make them do it.) :P

We weighed my son's backpack the other day. It was 26 lbs. He rides his bike while the weather is still good.

 

He only has 4 classes per day on an alternating schedule, and some of his teachers request the students leave their books at home. So that was only a few textbooks, notebooks, and an empty lunch bag.

[Guest]

I see the big yellow school bus, but never any kids walking. Because of the zip code I choose to rent in, they may all be at After School Instutional Style Care though.

 

We live within walking distance of ds' old high school. He either walked or rode his skateboard if I am remembering correctly, unless exy was able to co-ordinate work and class schedules.

Edited October 4, 2017 by Guest

[meganrussell]

We live half a mile from the school, but there is a lot of traffic in the morning. No sidewalks for most of the way. I drop mine off and pick them up. It takes me less than five minutes each time.

[sassenach]

Dd's science teacher is doing a campaign to get 50% of the school walking or biking. I think they're currently at 35-40%. That seems pretty good to me.

[bethben]

My dd walks to school about two blocks.  One block is residential with neighbors who truly are nosey in a good way watching out for other people's kids and the other block is the soccer field next to the school.  There are a ton of kids walking to school where we live.  The K-5 school is in the center of a bunch of houses.  

[OrganicJen]

All the kids I know of in our area walk and here it isn't even flat.

[shawthorne44]

I kind of don't get this, though.  Most kids aren't getting enough exercise during the day.  Walking to school, if it's possible, seems like an ideal way to get some of it.

 

And also some mental downtime and alone-time.