Freedom Hill Elementary families can start mapping safer walking routes to school on Wednesday, Oct. 7. That's when Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) launches a pilot of SafeWalkr, a student-built app that plots routes based on safety, not speed.

Freedom Hill is one of 14 FCPS schools in the pilot, which debuts on National Walk and Roll to School Day. The mobile-friendly website at safewalkr.com is available to families living in each school's designated walking zone.

Three seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) built SafeWalkr: Daniil Prokofev, Ashwath Muppa and Isaac Leetyn. The idea started with a bad run home. Prokofev said Google Maps once routed him along a stretch of Braddock Road with no sidewalks, forcing him to run alongside traffic in the dark.

"The route the Google algorithm gave me had me running along a part of Braddock Road with no sidewalks," Prokofev said. He described fighting through shrubbery as darkness fell, with cars passing dangerously close.

Unlike Google Maps, which optimizes for travel time, SafeWalkr weighs sidewalk accessibility, traffic density and crosswalk locations. The app combines Fairfax County records, Google Maps imagery and street databases to assign each route segment a risk score from 1 to 10. According to the SafeWalkr website, for two-thirds of homes the safest route is not the shortest.

The project started at HackTJ, TJHSST's annual coding competition, where the trio worked through the night and won. TJHSST Principal Mike Mukai visited the team around 11 p.m. during the hackathon. He advised them to reach out to the FCPS Safe Routes to School team and introduced them to specialist Becky Gray, who helped refine the tool for families.

The students also consulted FCPS Chief Technology Officer Gautam Sethi on cybersecurity standards and Chief Safety and Security Officer Brian Lambert on safety protocols. TJHSST math teacher Sewon Yang served as project advisor and helped secure funding.

The pilot comes less than a month after an FCPS staff report presented to the School Board on Sept. 8 identified kiss-and-ride congestion as the district's "most significant operational concern districtwide." That report found many parents want their children to walk but feel unsafe due to missing sidewalks and dangerous crossings.

During a Sept. 9 board discussion, Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson cited parents at specific schools who want to walk but can't safely cross major roads.

The 14 pilot schools were chosen based on a traffic and pedestrian survey conducted during the 2025-2026 school year. Besides Freedom Hill, the list includes Annandale Terrace, Bush Hill, Cardinal Forest, Chesterbrook, Lemon Road, Kings Park, Ravensworth, McNair and Mt. Eagle elementary schools, Cooper and Twain middle schools, and Hayfield Secondary and Justice High School.

Families in the walking zones of participating schools can check routes at safewalkr.com.