NSO Survey: Nearly 50% of children travelling at least 1 km to school walk, more so in rural areas

For nearly six in 10 children in India aged 6-14, the journey to school is at least a kilometre, and for almost half of them, it is made on foot, the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) first National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) has found.

The findings are significant in the context of the Right to Education (RTE) framework, which requires a neighborhood primary school within 1 km of every habitation. However, the survey does not distinguish between primary and upper primary students or identify the distance to the nearest available school.

The survey, conducted between July 2025 and June 2026, found that 60.6% of children aged 6-14 travel at least 1 km to attend an educational institution. The proportion was higher in urban areas at 64.4%, compared to 59% in rural areas.

Among children in this age group making such journeys, 47.3% walk, 28.4% take a bus and 11.9% cycle.

The NHTS surveyed 4.92 lakh households and 18.44 lakh people aged six and above across rural and urban India. It examined students’ regular travel over the preceding 90 travel-days, excluding private tuition and coaching centers. Only journeys of at least 1 km were counted, with onward and return trips recorded separately. The survey does not distinguish between school and higher education students.

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NHTS Survey: Monthly commuting costs

Indian households spend an average of Rs 443 per student each month on travel to and from educational institutions, with urban families spending nearly twice as much as rural households, the survey found. The average monthly expenditure was Rs 617 in urban areas while that in rural areas was Rs 361.

Travel expenses also varied by gender, averaging Rs 460 per month for male and Rs 423 for female students. In about 14 states, the average monthly travel expenditure for female students was below Rs 500. These figures cover students aged 6 and above who reported journeys of at least 1 km.

Despite the distances, 87.6% of students reached their educational institutions within 30 minutes. The average travel time was 23 minutes in rural areas and 22 minutes in urban areas.

NSO Survey: 4 in 10 rural students walk

Walking was the most common mode of travel among rural students with four in 10 doing it on foot to educational institutions while urban students are found relying on motorised transport.

Nearly 8 in 10 students aged 15-29 travel at least 1 km. The proportion of students travelling at least 1 km increased with age, reaching 77% among those ages 15-29, compared with 60.6% among children ages 6-14.

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NSO Report: Older students travel longer distances

Among older students, the proportion was higher in rural areas at 79.1%, compared with 73.3% in urban areas. Travel patterns also changed with age.

66.4% of students aged six and older travelled at least 1 km to attend educational institutions, with a slightly higher share among urban and male students.

Among students aged 15-29 making journeys of at least 1 km, 31% used buses, 22.2% walked and 21.4% cycled. Another 14.6% used auto-rickshaws and 9% travelled by two-wheelers.

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The survey also found that 35.7% of students travelling to educational institutions began their journeys between 8 am and 9 am. In rural areas, the proportion was 36.2%. Return journeys showed differences between rural and urban areas.

About 28.3% of rural students left their educational institutions between 3 pm. and 4 pm, compared with 21.5% of urban students.