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Participants
Enrollment
Participants
Enrollment
1971-1972
3,667,000
7,819,000
294,000
7,364,000
1981-1982
3,409,000
7,541,000
1,811,000
7,101,000
1991-1992
3,430,000
6,754,000
1,941,000
6,392,000
2001-2002
3,961,000
8,224,000
2,807,000
7,836,000
2011-2012
4,485,000
8,553,000
3,208,000
8,060,000
NOTE: Rounded to the nearest 1,000. Participants total is the sum of participants in school 
sports; if a student participated in more than one sport, he or she would be counted for each 
of those sports. 
SOURCE: Adapted from NFSHSA, 2012.
FIGURE 6-5
Change in the ratio of males’ and females’ participation in sports relative to 
enrollment, 1971-2011.
NOTE: Ratio is number of participants divided by estimated number of males or females 
enrolled in high school in October of the enrollment year. Enrollment data were adapted from 
the U.S. Census Bureau’s October Current Population Survey. For 1971 and 1981, only the total 
number of students was available, and the proportion of male students was assumed to be 
0.515. 
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 1971-2011. 
Figure 6-5.eps
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1971
1981
1991
Year
2001
2011
Male Percent Participation 
Female Percent Participation

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Approaches to Physical Activity in Schools
 
281
cent of middle and high schools offer intramural sports or physical activity 
clubs (NASPE and AHA, 2010). Based on data from a nationally represen-
tative sample of middle schools, Young and colleagues (2007) found that 
83 percent of schools offered interscholastic sports, and 69 percent offered 
intramural sports and clubs. No reports indicate that interscholastic or 
intramural sports were offered in elementary schools. 
Many students who do not play on school teams may participate in 
sports programs outside of school. CDC (2012) data indicate that 58 per-
cent of high school–age youth played on at least one sports team in 2011, 
which suggests that an estimated 31 million of the 55 million youth in this 
age group participated in sports outside of school. The committee was 
unable to find a national estimate of the number of students who partici-
pated in school intramural sports or physical activity clubs. However, one 
study of four middle schools with similar demographic populations based 
on race/ethnicity, income, and geographic location suggests that the intra-
mural sports environment may be more conducive to increased physical 
activity levels than the environment of varsity sports, at least for middle 
school boys (Bocarro et al., 2012). This may be due in part to the fact that 
all children can participate in intramural activities without having the high 
skill levels required for interscholastic sports.
Students have many choices of interscholastic sports. Lee and col-
leagues (2007) cite 23 popular sports, grouped in Table 6-3 as team or 
individual sports. Lee and colleagues (2007) believe that most individual 
sports may be more likely than team sports to become lifelong activities for 
individual students.
Policies That Affect Participation in Sports 
As with physical education and recess policies, data from both the 
Shape of the Nation Report (NASPE and AHA, 2010) and the NASBE 
State School Health Policy Database (see Appendix C) show variations in 
amounts, accountability, and regulations for high school sports. Twenty-
one states (41 percent) had state requirements regarding sports, most 
relating to gender equity, concussion management, and local requirements. 
Although NFSHSA remains the governing body for individual state athletic 
associations, the governance of district sports opportunities is determined 
largely by local athletic associations in accordance with individual state 
association requirements. However, decisions on what sports to offer, 
the frequency of sport competitions, and other factors are made at the 
local level. In its report on the Comprehensive School Physical Activity 
Program (CSPAP), the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, 
Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) (2011) notes that 65 percent of high 

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
282