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Educating the Student Body
with mandatory minutes, while 25 states (49 percent) have no mandatory 
minutes and 4 (0.07 percent) leave the required number of minutes up to 
local decision makers. A majority of states allow for waivers or substitu-
tions for physical education (see the discussion below). Fitness assessment 
is required in 15 states (29 percent), and other curricular assessments are 
required in 4 states (0.07 percent). Twenty-six states (53 percent) require 
physical education grades to be included in a student’s grade point average. 
Forty-three states (84 percent) require some degree of physical education 
for high school graduation, with a range of 0.5 to 3.75 credits. One state 
(0.02 percent) requires K-12 physical education but does not require 4 years 
of physical education for high school graduation. 
Although no federal policies requiring physical education presently 
exist, the above evidence shows that the majority of states require physical 
education. However, the number of days and time required vary greatly by 
state and local school district, as does the amount of physical education 
required for high school graduation. Given the reduced time for physical 
activity in school through recess, and absent the implementation of stronger 
policies, schools have not only the opportunity but also the responsibility 
to nurture in youth the skills, knowledge, and confidence to develop and 
maintain a healthy lifestyle. The consensus among states indicated by the 
mandates for physical education summarized above, together with the dis-
crepancies in specific policies, may suggest the need for general guidelines 
or a federal-level mandate that can serve to guide a collective effort to 
address the prevalence of childhood inactivity and obesity.