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No schools are within walking distance, but no more than a couple blocks- and not a small elements schooler- but it would depend on the kid. I remember riding my bike to middle school...

@regberadaisy: in our district you don't have the option to have a bus pick you up if you live within a mile from school so kids have to walk or be dropped off by parents.

I honestly don't think I would let my elementary school kid walk to school unless it was in sight of my house.

We live in an extremely safe city. We live next door to a middle school and tons of kids come to school unaccompanied, although, I have no idea how far they are going by themselves. It is not uncommon to see younger kids (8 or 9?) on public transit alone on the way to and from school. Our elementary school is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment. I'm not sure when I will feel comfortable letting our LOs go alone though. I guess it all depends on how safe you feel your streets/sidewalks are and how well you trust your kid to follow street safety rules.

We are six houses and a road from our elementary school, it is too far for me. I walk her too and from every day. Maybe when she's in second grade she can walk by herself, but I don't trust people to stop at the crosswalk and we don't have a crossing guard!!!

The elementary school is just under a mile from our house. So too far to walk but we don't get a bus either, so we'll be dropping her off. I think even if the school was just a few blocks away I'd still walk there and back with her (at least at the elementary level).

@Truth Bombs: my district allows bussing under a mile. My neighbor's kid gets on the bus every morning. It's weird!

Uh, maybe if I could stand on my front porch and see the school I'd let them walk to it alone. For our current house, the elementary school is probably within walking distance (a long walk, though), but I would walk with them. Maybe by 3rd or 4th grade I'd let them do it themselves? We live in a safe area and they'd only walk through neighborhoods, no businesses or anything. I don't think we'll be in this house by the time they are in Kindergarten though.

Ours is at the end of the street and only across a dead end street and a minor laneway. I wouldn't have an issue for a third grade, but I wouldn't let my kindergartner walk alone. Most everyone walks here, I don't think buses are even available.
It sounds like walking isn't safe in your neighborhood. I definitely wouldn't let my kids walk if the drivers were insane.

@BandDmommy: Yeah that's pretty busy! If it were a neighborhood of true side streets, I'd feel better about it. We won't be within walking distance of school so I don't have to make that tough decision!

We are too close to all of the schools (elem, jr high, and HS) for buses. I don't think I'll let my elem kids walk. I'm not worried at all about kidnapping, actually, and we do have a lot of the kids in the neighborhood who will go to that school. I'm more worried that not all of the streets on the way have side walks. I will let my kids walk to the jr high. It's a little bit closer and there is a crossing guard at the busy street. We'll deal with HS when we come to it. Although, it's all probably a moot point since they'll need to do before and after school care so we'll have to do drop off and pick up anyways.

Do you mean you are walking with them? I wouldn't let them walk alone, but would walk them a mile. How can they stop people from walking a mile with their children, or do they mean children walking alone?

Similar situation - I'm in a NoVA suburb and we had bus service for Kindergarten until last year, now everyone walks there via a tunnel under a busy road. Lots of parents walk with their kids and that's great. But plenty of parents drive their kids, and they seem to be the worst offenders. On my WFH days I drive or walk DS to daycare around the same time as school starts, and I have major beef with cars speeding through our neighborhood and darting across the busy road to get to the school. We've had near misses when out for walks in the neighborhood, so it's a definite concern of mine. I would not feel comfortable sending DS by himself.

In my area I see kids walking home from school and they seem to be nine and up? The road is pretty busy but the schools run a controlled crossing programme so the kids can cross safely.

I walked half a mile to and from school for three years in elementary school. It was fine. I liked it. I would love it if my kids could walk to school, but our resides school is about a mile and a half away and crosses a busy road.