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Educating the Student Body
(Bassett, 2012). Nearly half of the decline in youth walking to and from 
school from 1969 to 2001 is attributable to the increased distance between 
home and school (McDonald, 2007). Proximity to school is influenced 
by families moving farther away from school; schools are being built far-
ther away from homes compared with the small neighborhood schools of 
the past (see Figures 6-10 and 6-11). Proximity also is influenced by the 
decrease in the number of schools since 1960 even as the number of stu-
dents enrolled in schools has increased (Wirt et al., 2003). 
Proximity to school is not the only factor accounting for the decline in 
active transport among youth, as a significant decline also has been seen 
among youth living within a 1- to 2-mile radius of school. A second key 
determinant is infrastructure (Frank et al., 2003). The built environment 
is key to facilitating active transport. For active transport to be effec-
tive, not only must schools be in close proximity to the neighborhoods 
of students, but sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and traffic lights must be 
adequate (Boarnet et al., 2005; Fulton et al., 2005). Boarnet and colleagues 
(2005) found that children’s walking and cycling to and from school 
greatly increased in urban areas with improvements in sidewalks, traffic 
lights, pedestrian crossings, and bike paths. In a national study of 4th to 
12th graders, the presence of sidewalks was the main modifiable charac-
teristic associated with active transport to and from school (Fulton et al., 
2005). Other parental concerns include street connectivity, busy streets on