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Active school commuting provides a convenient opportunity to promote physical activity for children, while also reducing car dependence and its associated environmental impacts. School–home distance is a critical factor in school commuting mode choice, and longer distances have been proven to increase the likelihood of driving. In this study, we combine open-access data acquired from Baidu Map application programming interface (API) with GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to estimate the extent to which the present school–home distances can be reduced for public middle schools in Jianye District, Nanjing, China. Based on the policies for school planning and catchment allocation, we conduct a scenario analysis of school catchment reassignment whereby residences are reassigned to the nearest school. The results show that, despite the government's 'attending nearby school' policy, some students in the study area are subjected to excess school–home distances, and the overall journey-to-school trips can be reduced by 20.07%, accounting for 330.8 km. This excess distance indicates the extent to which the need for vehicle travel can be potentially reduced in favor of active school commuting and a low-carbon lifestyle. Therefore, these findings provide important insights into school siting and school catchment assignment policies seeking to facilitate active school commuting, achieve educational spatial equity and reduce car dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]