The state Department of Education said Thursday that the 2012 Physical Fitness Test found 31 percent of 1.3 million fifth, seventh and ninth graders passed all six fitness measures. That percentage is about the same as 2011.
It also rated nearly 30 percent of children as having high health risks due to body fat.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says the results reveal a tremendous public health challenge.
Kids were assessed for aerobic capacity, abdominal, trunk, and upper body strength, body composition and flexibility.
About 25 percent of fifth-graders passed all six tests, 32 percent of seventh-graders and 37 percent of ninth-graders.
