What If We Rated Schools by Walkability?
We live in an era when school ratings are everywhere. Assigning "grades" to schools based on academic performance is a famously tricky proposition, though. Maybe there are other metrics that are much more straightforward.
Dan Reed at Greater Greater Washington recently asked a provocative question: How would it change the educational landscape if we rated schools by how easy they are to walk to?
Studies show that kids who live in walkable neighborhoods get more exercise and are at reduced risk for obesity. Being able to walk to school teaches kids independence and a stronger sense of community as well.
So where are students most likely to be able to walk to and from school? One indicator is a school's Walk Score, a measure of its walkability. To find the region's most walkable schools, I looked at the Walk Score of 95 public high schools (both neighborhood and magnet) in the District, Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and the city of Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax counties in Virginia. Here's a spreadsheet of all of the schools.
There were 22 schools in the "top 20," which I've mapped above. (Three schools tied for 20th place.) Not surprisingly, nine of them are in the District. But there are also six in Montgomery County, two each in Prince George's and Arlington, and one each in Alexandria and Fairfax. Seven of them are outside the Beltway.
Reed goes on to say Walk Score isn't a perfect measure of the walkability of schools, because it uses an algorithm to measure distances to destinations, not distance from homes to school or the safety of nearby roads. In addition, in the D.C. area, most of the walkable schools have poor academic rankings or are located in expensive areas, Reed reports.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Better Institutions expresses frustration that fuel points at supermarkets basically mean non-drivers are paying for other people's free gas. The Green Lane Project blog reports that as protected bike lanes become more established, many cities are upgrading them by adding a curb for separation. And Car Free Dallas has some incremental suggestions to make the Big D friendlier to people on foot.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Are Friday’s Headlines the New Normal?
Transit ridership hasn't come all the way back from the pandemic, and they're going to need more federal help, along with other changes, says Governing magazine.
Friday Video: How to Make Places Safe For Non-Drivers After Dark
A top Paris pedestrian planner, a leading GIS professional, and Streetsblog's own Kea Wilson weigh in on the roots of America's nighttime road safety crisis, and the strategies that can help end it.
OPINION: Congestion Pricing Will Help My Family Get Around As We Navigate Cancer Treatment
My partner was recently diagnosed with cancer. Congestion pricing will make getting her to treatment faster and easier.
Talking Headways Podcast: Money is a Lot of Different Things
It's Part II of our discussion with Jim Kumon!
If Thursday’s Headlines Build It, They Will Come
Why can the U.S. quickly rebuild a bridge for cars, but not do the same for transit? It comes down to political will and a reliance on consultants.
