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Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status Using national data from the 
Monitoring the Future and Youth, Education, and Society studies, Johnston 
and colleagues (2007) observed that, among 8th graders, Hispanic youth 
attended schools in which smaller proportions of students were required 
to take physical education relative to schools attended by white youth. 
Compared with schools attended by white students, those attended by 
Hispanic students had a significantly smaller percentage actually taking 
physical education in 8th and 12th grades. Further, students of lower socio-
economic status were less likely to attend schools that required physical 
education. Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in physical activity 
and physical education may be driven by multiple factors, including dif-
ferences in student-level socioeconomic status and school-level resources 
such as funding, equipment, and facilities. Fernandes and Sturm (2010) 
found that unavailability of facilities, such as gymnasiums, was a potential 
barrier for school physical activity programs and was a greater problem in 
urban, high-minority, and high-enrollment schools. Gymnasium availability 
in schools also was associated with an additional 8.3 minutes of physical 
activity weekly overall and at least an additional 25 minutes for schools in 
humid climate zones.
gender Participation in physical education and time spent being physi-
cally active in physical education classes differ by gender. Consistent with 
national data, participation in physical education was found to be higher 
in boys (66 percent) than girls (59 percent) among California adolescents 
(Diamant et al., 2011). Moreover, based on national data from the YRBSS, 

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