The decrease in children’s active commuting to school has been widely reported. Long commutes are the main reason cited by parents for driving their children. However, primary schools are often located within walking distance from home. Drawing on a survey of 1495 parents about commuting to school in Montréal and Trois-Rivières, this paper explores how modal choice varies with proximity. A strong association was found between the school categories and the mean commuting distances, and a threshold for walking and cycling trips, instead of using motorized transport, was established.