What age should a child walk home from school alone?

What age should it be okay for a child to walk home alone?  Is there legally an age a child can walk home from school alone?  I am not sure if there is an actual legal age a child can walk home alone.  Here is what I found from familyeducation.com

How do you know if your child is ready to stay home alone or ride his bike to school? By asking him. Ideally, your child should know the following twelve points before he is ever alone in public. Sit down with your child and talk about each one of the twelve points listed below from Gavin de Becker's book, Protecting the Gift.
The Test of Twelve

1. Does your child know how to honor his feelings? If someone makes him uncomfortable, that's an important signal.
2. Are you as the parent strong enough to hear about any experience your child has had, no matter how unpleasant?
3. Does your child know it's okay to rebuff and defy adults?
4. Does your child know it's okay to be assertive?
5. Does your child know how to ask for assistance or help?
6. Does your child know how to choose who to ask? For example, he should look for a woman to help him.
7. Does your child know how to describe his peril?
8. Does your child know it's okay to strike, even to injure, someone if he believes he is in danger, and that you'll support any action he takes as a result of feeling uncomfortable or afraid?
9. Does your child know it's okay to make noise, to scream, to yell, to run?
10. Does your child know that if someone ever tries to force him to go somewhere, what he screams should include, ''This is not my father''? Onlookers seeing a child scream or even struggle are likely to assume the adult is a parent.
11. Does your child know that if someone says, ''Don't yell,'' the thing to do is yell? The corollary is if someone says, ''Don't tell,'' the thing to do is tell.
12. Does your child know to fully resist ever going anywhere out of public view with someone he doesn't know, and particularly to resist going anywhere with someone who tries to persuade him?

That was a list searched on Goggle.  I am uncertain that there are more awareness and skills a child needs to be able to walk home alone. Here is how I feel about children walking home without a parent or guardian.

1-Does the child know their address if they got lost?

2-Does the child know in what direction they are walking in.

3-How to cross the street by looking both ways.

4-Not to get distracted by talking to friends while crossing the street.

5-Go directly home after school  making no stops at any friends house.

6-Having a cell phone while walking in case of an emergency.

7-Knowing what is actually an emergency.

8-How to avoid contact with a stranger.  

 

In my opinion women can also be a person in question not to trust.  The schools normally teach our children if you get lost to look for a mother who is with her children. A mother with her children is differnent then looking for just a women to help if your child is lost.

In all honestly children walking in groups home from school,having a cell phone for an emergency & also being aware of their surroundings is the best way to approach walking home.