State law requires school districts to administer a physical fitness test, designated by the State Board of Education, to all fifth, seventh, and ninth graders annually. The physical fitness test designated for California public school students is the FITNESSGRAM®, developed by The Cooper Institute. The test assesses six major fitness areas, including aerobic capacity (cardiovascular endurance), body composition (percentage of body fat), abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and overall flexibility. A number of test options are provided for most of the fitness areas so that all students, including those with special needs, have the maximum opportunity to participate.

The goal of the California physical fitness test is for students to achieve the minimum fitness levels, or performance standards, for all six fitness areas of the test. In 2005, just 25 percent of the students in grade five, 29 percent in grade seven, and 27 percent in grade nine achieved the fitness standards for all six areas of the test. Percent of students meeting fitness standards by scoring in the healthy fitness zone on all six fitness standards:

Only 56 percent of the students across the three grades met the targeted performance standard for aerobic capacity, considered the most important of the six areas tested. Recent research associates good
aerobic capacity with
a reduction in many health problems.