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TAbLE 7-1 Percentage of Students Who Usually Walk or Bike to School, 
2009
Elementary Schools (%)
Middle Schools (%)
Miles from School
Walk
Bike
Walk
Bike
0-<0.25
53
1
66
1
0.25-<0.5
26
2
50
3
0.5-<1
14
3
19
4
1-<2
3
1
7
2
≥
2
1
0
2
<1
SOURCE: McDonald et al., 2011.

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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
342
 
Educating the Student Body
estimated the difference in minutes of daily vigorous- or moderate-intensity 
physical activity between children and adolescents who walk to school and 
those who are driven. Basset and colleagues (2013) estimate that walking 
or biking to school adds an average of 16 minutes per day of vigorous- or 
moderate-intensity physical activity. According to other estimates, the fig-
ure ranges from 2 to 24 minutes per school day (Sirard et al., 2005; van 
Sluijs et al., 2009; Owen et al., 2012; Saksvig et al., 2012). Not surprisingly, 
the excess minutes are greater among students who walk or bike longer 
distances than among those who walk or bike shorter distances (van Sluijs 
et al., 2009).
A few studies have assessed the impact of a walking school bus 
intervention. Two studies found that the proportion of children actively 
commuting to school increased and that accelerometer-measured physical 
activity was higher among students at intervention schools than those at 
comparison schools (Heelan et al., 2009; Mendoza et al., 2011b). A third 
study found no differences between intervention and comparison schools 
(Sayers et al., 2012).
Impact on Other Outcomes
Evidence that students using active transport have lower BMIs is sugges-
tive but inconsistent (Davison et al., 2008; Lee et al., 2008; Faulkner et al., 
2009; Lubans et al., 2011). Active transport also is thought to enhance neigh-
borhood social capital and social interactions among children and to pro-
mote independent mobility (Collins and Kearns, 2001; Kearns et al., 2003).
Benefits of walking or biking to school also include reduced use of 
automobiles and school buses and the associated reductions in air pollu-
tion, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion. A simulation study esti-
mated that, compared with locations where few to no students could walk 
or bike to a neighborhood school, locations where active transport was 
feasible would see a 15 percent reduction in noxious emissions (EPA, 2003). 
Enabling more students to walk or bike to school could substantially reduce 
the cost of busing. One school reportedly is saving $49,000 per year in bus-
ing costs after improving the safety of active transport with new sidewalks, 
crosswalks, and signage (USDOT, 2012). Infrastructure improvements such 
as new or repaired sidewalks benefit not just students but all pedestrians.
Policies 
Some evidence suggests that favorable school district and/or state poli-
cies increase the likelihood of implementation of “walking school buses” 
(Turner et al., 2012).

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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
The Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Physical Education Policies and Programs
 
343
Conclusion
For students who live close enough to school, active transport is an 
important source of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity. 
Substantial evidence shows that students who walk or bike to school are 
more physically active than those who do not. Enabling students to walk or 
bike to school provides a number of environmental and economic benefits 
as well. Evidence that environmental, safety, and educational interventions 
increase the proportion of students who walk or bike to school is suggestive 
but limited in volume and quality.