School Planning
Support Your Local Neighborhood School Movement
Neighborhood schools allow children to walk or bike to school, which gives them more independence. It is better for them physically, socially, and developmentally. They can map out their surroundings.
Neighborhood schools create a neighborhood hub, which provides a place for neighbors to congregate locally. Parents can learn what’s happening in town and get involved.
Neighborhood schools are smaller, and friendlier. Students feel like they belong there, so they are more confident to seek out information. Over-consolidated mega-schools intimidate students and overwhelm them.
School Size
High schools offer specialized activities at around 250 students per grade. The student pool needs to be large enough to justify advanced classes, clubs, sports, music, and other extracurricular activities. Middle schools do not need as many students because there are fewer specialized activities. Students take the same five classes that all middle school students take as part of a general education curriculum. It tends to be about 100 students per grade (5 classes x 20 students each). Elementary schools do not have subject-specific classes. This is similar to daycare, and can exist at the neighborhood level because it only requires enough students for a single class (about 20 students per grade).
Learning Communities
Students behave better when they are part of a learning community. Schools should not be larger than what is necessary for specialized activities, or they lose the sense of community. When schools are too large, students don’t feel like they belong there. They take classes with too many other students. Teachers don’t know which students have which teachers, and it weakens their ability to work together. In a small school, teachers can help students more directly. Students have more freedom because teachers can trust them.
School Proximity
Schools should be located within walking distance of the students’ homes, which requires a certain minimum density. In dense areas, the high school might be within walking distance. In rural areas, only the elementary school is within walking distance. If the density is so low that the neighborhood population cannot support an elementary school, then the school will be too far away, and students won’t feel connected to it. A better sense of community is achieved by providing an elementary school at the neighborhood level (about a quarter-mile radius, within a five-minute walk). Middle schools should be at least within the quadrant level (1 mile radius, within a 15-minute walk). The town level should be dense enough to support a high school (about 250 students per grade) within a 1.5 mile radius that is accessible by bus or car, or 30 minutes by walking.
Social Capital
When students attend the same school as their neighbors, it builds social capital. Parents know other parents because their children go to school together. The relationships that develop in school carry over to outside of school. It strengthens social cohesion. Matters of local government become less divisive, and easier to solve. When students attend different schools, there are fewer connections at the neighborhood level.
The School Day
When students live within walking distance of school, they are able to go home for lunch. They can walk to the park after school, or walk down main street with their friends. Everything is accessible, so the school doesn’t need to duplicate amenities with the town. It’s important that students have places to go besides home and school. The hours of academic instruction can be reduced to give students more freedom in the afternoons.
Rules For Schools 