diff --git a/backend/app.py b/backend/app.py
index 0321e09..2684857 100644
--- a/backend/app.py
+++ b/backend/app.py
@@ -306,10 +306,8 @@ async def get_schools(
     end_idx = start_idx + page_size
     schools_df = schools_df.iloc[start_idx:end_idx]
 
-    # Remove internal columns before sending
+    # Remove internal columns before sending (keep distance if present)
     output_cols = [c for c in schools_df.columns if c not in ["latitude", "longitude"]]
-    if "distance" in schools_df.columns:
-        output_cols.append("distance")
 
     return {
         "schools": clean_for_json(schools_df[output_cols]),