California students' physical fitness test results for 2012 hold steady

SACRAMENTO—Physical fitness scores for California’s school kids are holding steady, with about 31 percent of students posting healthy scores in all six of the tested areas for the second year in a row, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced Nov. 15.

The 2012 Physical Fitness Test was administered to approximately 1.3 million fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders, representing more than 93 percent of the total number of students enrolled in those grades in California public schools (Table 1). The state tracked the same groups of students – or “cohorts” – through the physical fitness tests in grades five, seven, and nine, which showed marked improvements in physical fitness over the years (Tables 6 and 7).

“When we can call fewer than one out of three of our kids physically fit, we know we have a tremendous public health challenge on our hands,” Torlakson said. “It affects more than their health—study after study has demonstrated the very clear link between physical fitness and academic achievement. While I am glad their fitness levels improve as they make their way through school, we owe it to California’s kids to give them more opportunities for exercise, along with better access to healthy foods and clean, fresh water.”

Those are the goals behind Torlakson’s Team California for Healthy Kids initiative, which engages celebrity athletes, community leaders, public health advocates, parents, teachers, and students in making healthy choices the easy choices. Torlakson is a teacher and longtime high school track and cross country coach who witnessed firsthand the link between physical health and wellness and success in school.

The 2012 Physical Fitness Test results for schools, school districts, counties, and the state are available on the California Department of Education Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf/pftresults.asp.