Graham encourages all students to consider walking or biking to and from school. Research has shown that active commuting delivers health and academic benefits, and this step toward independence helps students build self-confidence.
The school goal is to match some of the neighboring school districts by achieving high levels of participation (Recent surveys show that some local schools have more than 70 percent of students walking or biking.)
Please review and follow the Traffic and Safety Rules provided by the Traffic & Safety Team from the Mountain View Police Department.
New traffic patterns
Over the summer, the city re-striped Castro Street in front of Graham to make it a safer road for the students. There is now only one car travel lane in each direction. To the right of that is the car parking lane, and the bike lane is protected between the parked cars and the curb.
Entering Graham from the south
(Miramonte Ave to Castro St):
Thanks to the bike lane, entering Graham from the south requires only checking for pedestrians on the sidewalk and turning right into the parking lot. Please be careful when turning right from Miramonte to Castro - the striping requires cars to move over more quickly than before and there will be a learning curve for drivers.
Entering Graham from the north
(El Camino Real to Castro St):
From the opposite side of Castro St, walk your bike across the crosswalk at the corner of Harpster Drive and walk down the sidewalk into Graham. Please do not ride your bike against traffic on the sidewalk (or road).
There is also the back entrance to Graham off Lane Ave that leads directly into the bike cage.
"Drop-a-Block" and Other Ways to Be Safe During
To provide safer student travel routes, we are encouraging parents to either have their student ride a bike or walk to school. If you must drive your student to school, we encourage you to use one of the alternative locations to drop your student. To support these activities, we are partnering with Mountain View VERBS Program to assist with these changes.
Bicycling: The furthest distance from school is an approximate 20-minute bike ride for a student. In the coming weeks, VERBS Staff will assist students riding to school by providing travel times along three main routes to school and a group leader to 'lead' the bike train to school. Look for future announcements about this program.
Vehicles: We have identified alternative locations for students to be dropped off. We refer to this program as "Drop-a-Block." The locations are an easy 5-minute walk to the school campus and a great meeting point for students to be picked up after school. Remember to park on along the curb and students are to exit the vehicle on the curbside. Do not double park and please don't block driveways.
For those traveling eastbound on El Camino Real (coming from the Castro School neighborhood), travel past Castro Street and make the first right turn on Lane Avenue (just past Chase Bank); make the next right turn on Victory Way, and pull alongside the Chase parking area. Students walk from the Victory Way to Lane Avenue and enter campus via Lane Avenue.
For those traveling westbound on El Camino Real (coming from the Landels School neighborhood), turn right on Hope Street (street before Castro Street) and drop your student next to KFC and California Bank and Trust. Students walk along El Camino to Castro Street and cross at the light. Students continue up Castro Street, making a left on Victory Lane and right on Lane Avenue.
For those traveling north on Grant Road (coming from the Huff School neighborhood), turn left onto Cuesta Drive toward Miramonte Avenue. Make a right onto Begen Avenue. (next street past the light at Montalto Drive) and proceed up to Barbara Lane. Drop your student near Barbara Lane. Students walk along Begen Avenue, turning left on Hans Avenue, right at Miramonte Avenue and then right again at Castro Street.