When the assessment started three years ago, the number of high school students deemed physically fit was already startlingly low. Except for freshman girls, the numbers declined even more in the 2009-2010 school year.
The assessment is based on a six-part measure of aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility.
The most physically fit group was third-grade girls, 37 percent of whom achieved a "healthy fitness zone." The least physically fit group was senior girls, with only 8 percent of those tested deemed fit.
