Fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders in San Diego County scored similar results on the California Physical Fitness Test as the previous year's classes, defying a trend of drops among students statewide, according to figures released Monday.
More than 1.3 million students statewide took the fitness test, which measures their health in six categories — aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk strength, upper body strength and flexibility.
Among county fifth-graders tested during the 2015-16 school year, 28.6 percent fulfilled all six fitness criteria, along with 37.8 percent of seventh- graders and 44.5 percent of ninth-graders, according to the California Department of Education. During testing the previous year, 28.1 percent of fifth-graders met all six fitness criteria, as did 37.8 percent of seventh-graders and 45.2 percent of ninth-graders.
Across California, 25.9 percent of fifth-graders landed in the "Healthy Fitness Zone" by fulfilling all six fitness criteria, as well as 32.1 percent of seventh-graders and 36.7 percent of ninth-graders. Those numbers were all down from the previous year.
| 5th Grade | 7th Grade | 9th Grade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Santa Fe Elementary | 80.7% | San Dieguito Union High | 65.1% | Poway Unified | 65.8% | |
| Cardiff Elementary | 60 | Jamul-Dulzura Union Elementary | 64.8 | Carlsbad Unified | 64.9 | |
| Solana Beach Elementary | 59.8 | Carlsbad Unified | 58.6 | Lakeside Union Elementary | 64.6 | |
| Del Mar Union | 56 | Rancho Santa Fe Elementary | 57.4 | San Dieguito Union High | 62.9 | |
| Coronado Unified | 53.2 | Alpine Union Elementary | 56.7 | Valley Center-Pauma | 54.9 | |
| Encinitas Union Elementary | 48.2 | Poway Unified | 52.7 | Warner Unified | 53.3 | |
| Poway Unified | 48 | San Pasqual Union Elementary | 50 | Coronado Unified | 52.1 | |
| Bonsall | 45.9 | Coronado Unified | 49.8 | San Marcos Unified | 47.8 | |
| Vallecitos | 42.9 | Valley Center-Pauma | 49.5 | Ramona City Unified | 47.8 | |
| Carlsbad Unified | 38.2 | Lakeside Union Elementary | 45.7 | San Diego Unified | 46.2 | |
| Valley Center-Pauma | 33.3 | San Marcos Unified | 45.3 | Fallbrook Union High | 44.5 | |
| San Pasqual Union Elementary | 33.3 | Lemon Grove | 41.4 | San Diego County | 44.5 | |
| San Marcos Unified | 33 | Ramona City Unified | 41.2 | Sweetwater Union High | 40.8 | |
| Alpine Union Elementary | 32.9 | Bonsall | 38.7 | Oceanside Unified | 38.8 | |
| Lemon Grove | 32.5 | San Diego County | 37.8 | Escondido Union High | 37.9 | |
| Lakeside Union Elementary | 32.1 | Vallecitos | 37.5 | Grossmont Union | 35 | |
| Dehesa Elementary | 31.8 | Sweetwater Union High | 37.2 | California | 36.7 | |
| La Mesa-Spring Valley | 31 | Fallbrook Union Elementary | 36.7 | Vista Unified | 34.9 | |
| Julian Union Elementary | 31 | San Ysidro Elementary | 35.8 | Mountain Empire | 33 | |
| San Diego County | 28.6 | Oceanside Unified | 35.6 | Bonsall | 31.6 | |
| Escondido Union | 27.7 | Escondido Union | 33.6 | Chula Vista Elementary | 31.3 | |
| Chula Vista Elementary | 27.2 | Dehesa Elementary | 33.3 | Borrego Springs Unified | 30.2 | |
| California | 25.9 | Santee | 33.2 | |||
| San Diego Unified | 24.2 | California | 32.1 | |||
| Vista Unified | 24.1 | Cajon Valley Union | 32 | |||
| Mountain Empire | 24 | Vista Unified | 31.9 | |||
| Jamul-Dulzura Union Elementary | 23.1 | La Mesa-Spring Valley | 31.2 | |||
| Ramona City Unified | 22.9 | San Diego Unified | 30.9 | |||
| Cajon Valley Union | 22.4 | Borrego Springs Unified | 25.9 | |||
| Santee | 21.8 | Julian Union Elementary | 25 | |||
| Fallbrook Union Elementary | 17.1 | South Bay Union | 25 | |||
| Oceanside Unified | 17.1 | Warner Unified | 21.4 | |||
| San Ysidro Elementary | 14.7 | Chula Vista Elementary | 17.2 | |||
| South Bay Union | 12.6 | Mountain Empire | 15.9 | |||
| National Elementary | 9.5 | |||||
"Good nutrition, proper rest and exercise are key ingredients for success in the classroom and in life," said Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction.
"This year's physical fitness test results, which are down very slightly, remind all of us as educators, parents and community leaders that we need to convey this message to our children," Torlakson said. "One of the best ways to do that is by eating healthy foods and exercising so we can serve as role models for healthy living, not only for the sake of our children, but also for the future health of our communities and our state."
Results in the San Diego Unified School District, the region's largest, lagged behind their countywide counterparts in the lower grades, but exceeded the ninth-grade scores.
In the SDUSD, 24.2 percent of fifth-graders made it into the "Healthy Fitness Zone," along with 30.9 percent of seventh-graders and 46.2 percent of ninth-graders. Those figures were also similar to the previous year.
