CORALVILLE, IOWA (May 12, 2025) — Iowa schools just made history! Over 130 schools across the state participated in Walk Bike Roll to School Day 2025, making it one of the biggest statewide celebrations of active transportation we’ve ever seen. From the smallest rural schools to bustling city campuses, students, teachers, families, and community members came together to celebrate healthy habits and safer routes to school.
On May 7, and in the days surrounding it, students walked, biked, and rolled to school with big smiles and lots of energy.
Some schools organized group rides and “walking school buses.” Others invited local police departments or community leaders to join in, held safety clinics, or simply encouraged families to leave the car at home for the day.
“This event just keeps gaining momentum,” said Matt Burkey, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. “We’re thrilled to see so many Iowa schools stepping up and showing how much of a difference a single day of action can make.” Burkey led a bike bus in Tipton while other communities also had bike buses, walking school buses, and other celebrations.
Walk Bike Roll to School Day is part of a national movement to highlight the importance of safe, accessible routes to school. It also encourages kids to be more physically active, reduces car traffic around schools, and helps create healthier, more livable communities. In many cases, schools use the event as a launching point for year-round programs focused on walking and biking, traffic safety education, and infrastructure improvements.
If your school missed the May 7 event, don’t worry! There’s still time to participate. Schools can host Walk Bike Roll events any day in May. Whether it’s a big celebration or a small walk with a few families, every step (or pedal!) counts.
You can register your school and find free event planning resources at walkbiketoschool.org.
The Iowa Safe Routes to School is a program of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition in partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). Our goal is to work with schools and communities to improve the built environment so kids can more easily walk and roll to school. SRTS achieves these goals by educating volunteers and providing onsite resources as well.
