Like so many Bay Area residents, Sara Noriega D铆az starts her day with a stressful one-hour commute through heavy morning traffic. Up before dawn, she rushes to get ready, eats breakfast, and then steels herself for the stop-and-go traverse through multiple cities. Unlike most Bay Area commuters, however, she鈥檚 not headed to work. She鈥檚 going to middle school.
Sara, 13, attends KIPP Bayview Academy in San Francisco, some 25 miles away from her home on the peninsula. Although most students still attend school closer to home, Sara is among an increasing number of students across the country who travel to distant neighborhoods, cities, and even districts to attend schools their families hope will better serve their educational needs.
A growing trend
According to a published in 2015, nearly 30 percent of incoming Chicago high school students who live in disadvantaged areas commute to a distant charter school or public school with open enrollment.
It鈥檚 not uncommon for young New Yorkers to take with multiple transfers to get to the school of their choice. To productively use the hour or two each way, these kids do their homework on the train.
Across the country, the school choice movement that empowers families to select the best school for their child regardless of location also presents transportation challenges. Most schools don鈥檛 offer buses, and carpools can be difficult to coordinate. In many cases, the available public transportation doesn鈥檛 offer direct connections to schools, so students must walk or catch carpools in addition to public transportation. Finally, the cost of taking the bus or subway can be prohibitive for the lower-income families who, according to the study, are more likely to take advantage of the choice.
For Sara鈥檚 mother, Teresa D铆az, the decision to brave the crowded Bay Area interstates and drive her daughter to school each weekday wasn鈥檛 easy. Her husband鈥檚 work prevented him from helping. The extra expenses were daunting. It meant buying a more reliable car for the nearly 100 miles a day she鈥檇 be driving. At the time, gas prices were rising toward $4 a gallon. But D铆az felt pushed by circumstances. The schools easily available to her daughter did not provide high-quality, college-ready education to Latinas.
High performing 鈥� but not for my child
Sara鈥檚 mother ruled out both La Entrada and Hillview, the two highly rated public middle schools in their neighborhood. Both schools have an overall GreatSchools Rating of 10, but when measuring the success of their low-income students, their ratings drop to 6 and 5, respectively. Based on her experiences with her older children, D铆az knew that a school鈥檚 overall reputation could be deceiving. When her other children attended public elementary schools, she encountered unresponsive teachers and administrators who failed to address her concerns about academics and bullying.
D铆az had high hopes for the new Redwood City charter school Sara started in sixth grade. But during that first year, good teachers quit, only to be replaced by a wave of substitutes, and the principal was replaced midyear. One month into Sara鈥檚 seventh grade year, when both the math and science teachers quit, D铆az lost faith in the school; she decided not to take any more chances on her daughter鈥檚 education.
鈥淪ara has a lot of potential. It would make me very sad if she didn鈥檛 have a good educational experience,鈥� says D铆az.
In the end, D铆az decided that the best place for her daughter would be at one of the KIPP schools, charter schools known for their rigorous academics and intense college prep focus. But none of the closer KIPP schools had spots for seventh graders, so D铆az reluctantly decided to turn her family life upside down and add a couple of extra hours of driving to her day.
A blessing and a curse
For D铆az and her daughter, the long morning commute takes its toll. Three freeway merges between their home and KIPP Bayview Academy occasionally slow them down. They usually arrive by 7:30 a.m., when the school opens its doors to students. From there, D铆az has just one hour to get back to Palo Alto for the start of her 8:30 a.m. hotel maintenance shift. In the afternoon, D铆az drives an hour back to San Francisco to pick up her daughter and another 45 minutes to get home, depending on traffic.
Yet for D铆az, the education Sara receives is worth the sacrifice. Like many families trying to find the best educational options for their children, D铆az, who completed ninth grade and some technical training courses, thinks a college degree will give her daughter the opportunity she didn鈥檛 have to become a professional. In addition to a strong curriculum, D铆az likes that KIPP offers enrichment in computer literacy, sports, and music. Sara has even picked up basketball and violin since starting at Bayview Academy. Besides, says D铆az, the commute has other benefits.
鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 stressful because we are going against the clock, it鈥檚 a gift for me to have time with my daughter every day,鈥� says D铆az. On the road, they sometimes discuss current events reported on the radio or simply share what is happening in their lives. Other times, they relax and listen to music.
D铆az also likes that KIPP encourages and guides students to take charge of their own education 鈥� which seems to be working. As she approaches ninth grade, Sara has her eye on getting into a competitive private school. She is studying for the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), required by private schools, and plans to apply to high schools closer to home. She checked out a test preparation book from the library and, with guidance from her teachers, is studying and doing all the applications herself.
鈥淜IPP motivates the kids. They help them find their strengths and develop them. At a district school I know Sara would be very motivated, but she might not have the same guidance,鈥� D铆az says.
Academic highway, social potholes
Still, the road to the far-flung school has its bumps. Since her move, Sara says it鈥檚 been hard to build friendships. It鈥檚 hard to hang out with her KIPP friends outside of school and she only sees hometown friends on the weekends.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard because we live far away and my mom has stuff to do during the weekend, so it鈥檚 hard for her to drive me back and forth like she does during the week,鈥� Sara says. Still, like her mother, she has no regrets: 鈥淚t was hard for me at first, but I realized it was going to help my education, and to get into college, which is my ultimate goal.鈥�
Considering a commute to school?
If you鈥檙e considering how far you鈥檒l go to get an education for your child, it鈥檚 worth reflecting on a few questions.
- How will it affect your family鈥檚 stress level and time together?
- How will you feel if you turn this opportunity down? Is there another school option? Do the advantages of the school outweigh the disadvantages of commuting?
- How will the commute affect your child鈥檚 social and emotional development and friendships?
- Will your child feel that he doesn鈥檛 get enough time to finish homework or participate in other activities? Will it be possible for her to participate in extracurricular school activities?
- Are carpool options available that are worth exploring before making a decision?
- Do you see this as a stopgap measure or a long-term solution? (It may be easier to handle with an end date.)
- What are the estimated financial costs over the long run?
- Instead of commuting, is there anything you can do to for your children and children like yours?
