History

Photo of early Walk to School Day event with children and their school mascot.

Milwaukee, WI

Walk & Roll to School Day in the U.S began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities. In 2000, the event became international when the U.K. and Canada (both of which had already been promoting walking to school) and the U.S. joined together for the first International Walk to School Day. Growing interest in participation all over the world led the International Walk to School Committee to shifts its promotion to International Walk to School Month for the entire month of October. Today, thousands of schools across the U.S.—and the globe—celebrate walking and rolling to school every year.

The success of Walk & Roll to School Day, as well as continued interest in bicycling to school, created a desire for a national event focused on bicycling to school. This goal became reality in 2012, when the first national Bike & Roll to School Day took place on May 9, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month.

Both Walk & Roll to School Day and Bike & Roll to School Day welcome and encourage all forms of active transportation to school and galvanize visibility for the need for safe routes to school.

Quick Facts and Figures: The History of Walk & Roll to School Day and Bike & Roll to School Day