I rode bikes to school from 4th grade year until the end of 8th grade in middle school. Not only did I ride to school, I rode to the bridge and lakes to fish, to my friends houses miles away, to the grocery store for my parents if they needed small things, to get mcD's with friends, and anything else I could manage to ride for. I sure wasn't about to waste my time walking and my parents didn't want to spend twice as much gas running my little annoying butt around town.
I got a haro revo when I was roughly 11 or 12, but I rode walmart bikes before that. I remember every last one of them.
I'm 24 now, just got a new bike, and plan to do just the same.