A national event can be an amazing impetus for change in communities. Through annual surveys, local Walk to School Day coordinators across the country have told us how a simple one-day event has led to great changes such as long-term walking and bicycling programs, new sidewalks and pathways, enforcement of unsafe driving behaviors and needed policy changes at schools and in communities. Improvements that normally take a long time to institute can happen quickly when city officials walk or bicycle to school with students and see firsthand what needs to be done.
The first National Walk to School Day – called Walk Our Children to School Day – was held in 1997. Since then, it’s come a long way. In May 2012, the first-ever National Bike to School Day was celebrated across the USA. Join families, schools and communities as they walk and bicycle to school for these events each year.
There is more than one way to host a successful event. Even if many students live too far away to walk or there aren’t good walking and biking routes to school, it’s possible to join in on the fun and bring visibility to the benefits of getting to school under your own power.
What began as an idea has evolved into a movement. Learn more about the beginnings of Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day.
The annual Walk to School reports document the progress of Walk to School Day in the USA and across the globe and include highlights from each year's events.
Learn more about the annual National Bike to School Day event, held in May.
Learn more about the annual International Walk to School Day event, held every October.