<p>I am looking at some Boston-area boarding schools for my child to attend as a day student. Both parents work but have reasonable work schedules. What is a reasonable commute distance given that BS day students seem to be at school from the AM until relatively late into the evening? We don't have the resources to hire a car-service. Thanks!</p>
<p>Although I’m not Boston, I say 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Sent from my SPH-M920 using CC App</p>
<p>Concord and Middlesex are accessible by train.</p>
<p>A lot of the schools have bus services, if you do not consider that a car service. Trains are a solution, but I would say 45 minutes maximum.</p>
<p>Concord Academy is accessible by train. Middlesex School is not, as it’s about 3 miles from the Concord station. According to Google Maps, that would take about an hour to walk.</p>
<p>If anyone who attends Middlesex knows more, please speak up. Does the school run shuttles?</p>
<p>You can’t walk 3 miles in an hour even if you are Periwinkle. You have to run to make 3 miles in an hour as per the math side of my brain.</p>
<p>Cambridge School of Weston is available by train and they have a shuttle pick up students and drive the 1 mile or so to the campus, (This is Helen Keller’s alma mater. She later went on to attend Radcliffe.)</p>
<p>That’s some curious math, Invent. Many people can walk one mile in twenty minutes without breaking a sweat. 3 miles in 60 minutes is a doable pace. However, I’m not sure I’d want to do that walk every day (especially in winter) carrying a 20lb back pack…</p>
<p>And all the poster boards for the projects, athletic gear.</p>
<p><a href=“This%20is%20Helen%20Keller’s%20alma%20mater.%20She%20later%20went%20on%20to%20attend%20Radcliffe.”>quote</a>
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<p>Past results are no guarantee for future successes!</p>
<p>I heard there was a city bus that MX kids take into Concord. Worth asking of a MX student, anyone?</p>
<p>I live near Middlesex and Concord Academy and actually take the train every morning from the Concord Station. I oftentimes see Concord Academy students getting off the train and doing the 5 minute walk to the campus, which is located in Concord center. However, I do not think I have ever seen any kind of Middlesex shuttle.</p>
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<p>@laughalittle - I was in Cambridge during rush hour last year. 30 minutes equates to a distance of about a mile - lol!</p>
<p>@Islfan, the time of day can make an enormous difference. Day/boarding schools have different schedules and expectations. In general, the larger the percentage of day students in the population, the easier it is to commute to a school. </p>
<p>Many boarding schools are proud to offer on-campus housing for faculty. Thus, faculty children might count as “day” students, but they aren’t commuting to campus. At each school, ask, “When are day students expected to arrive on campus? When must they leave campus? Can they stay for dinner and study hall? May they eat breakfast on campus?” These policies vary by school. </p>
<p>Some boarding schools have schedules which run into the evening. If your day student is expected to stay for study hall, you will be committing to picking up your child at 9 or 10 pm every evening for the next four years. Of course, commuting times are much shorter at night! 
Some schools will allow day students to stay overnight occasionally, particularly on weekends. </p>
<p>Some day students can drive themselves, but you should ask about the school’s rules. An extra car is an added expense, and you will need a backup plan, should your kid be caught speeding.</p>
<p>bumped for participant</p>
<p>I’d be interested to obtain your opinions of how far in miles, and how long in time on a daily basis do you think it would be reasonable to drive your 9th grader to high school? At what point does the distance and time one-way become too great? Surely, at some point, it becomes excessive and therefore a disservice to the student because of lost time? For example, a 30 minute drive, or 45? How about 1 hour and 15 minutes each way? The reason I ask is that our local day school choice is 1 hour and 15 minutes each way. That is why the concept of boarding school has surfaced. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Participant- that’s actually a good question to ask the school! We also would have faced a long commute. The school that we were most interested in said no more than 45 minutes each way. My kids ended up boarding slightly farther away, but close enough to come home once in a while.</p>
<p>Last yr my child attended a private day school, a 30-45 min drive. As the driver, I did not mind. It gave us extra talk time in the car. However, I did live the life of a limo driver on call and spent more time in the parking lots waiting than I did driving. Some times we would not return home until 9 or 10 pm due to away sports games and performances.
This year he is at a BS one hour 30 min. away. For us that distance would not be comfortable for a daily commute. As it is, his schedule is packed with classes, sports, music and study hours. He would not have any down time with friends if he had that long of a commute 6 days a week. (Don’t forget Sat. classes and sports games)
Most schools will advise families what is a reasonable distance to be a day student.</p>