MADISON, Wis. – Offering a walking school bus has increased attendance at Lake View Elementary School.

What You Need To Know

  • Families at Northport Apartments live too close for their kids to qualify for the bus

  • Lake View Elementary started its Walking School Bus program to serve that area

  • Attendance has risen 3% since last school year

Every morning, staff and volunteers in orange vests meet families at Northport Apartments on the city’s north side. This time of year, kids are bundled in coats, hats and gloves.

Toward about 8 a.m., the group got larger. Dozens of kids were excited to get to school.

That area is too close to the school to be eligible for the bus. Once staff rounded up the group for the day, they start their walk to Lake View.

“Honestly, I think they get so distracted by walking that they can’t complain [about the cold],” said Eve Ropel, school resource coordinator. “They enjoy it a lot, although we get some grumbles going up our very little hill.”

Along the way, kids play, gossip and catch up. One student put his arm around his friend and told him he’d missed him.

“We average probably I’d say 50-55 [students],” Ropel said. “Our lowest has been like 40. We have a maximum of about 70 students.”

The goal was to help families get their kids to school safely without having to worry about transportation. Staff hoped that would increase attendance, and it worked.

“Attendance has gone up in that population by three percent since last year,” Ropel said. “Last school year, we did a very large effort on correcting and addressing attendance overall. This was definitely a part of it.”

Even in the cold, students found a way to have a good time on their short walk to school.

“You get to be outside. It’s a fun way to start the day,” Ropel said.