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Educating the Student Body
Vigorous- or Moderate-Intensity Physical 
Activity During the School Day
In the United States, elementary and secondary school students spend 
180 days every year at school. On those days, about 6.5 hours, or about 
40 percent of their waking hours, make up the official school day. Including 
time spent going to and from school and in school-related after-school activi-
ties, students spend half or more of the available hours of every school day at 
school or going to and from school. Given the large proportion of total wak-
ing hours spent at school and in school-related activities, remarkably little is 
known about students’ physical activity behaviors during school hours and 
during school-related after-school activities. 
A recent analysis of the potential impact of select school-based policies 
indicates that the current dose of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical 
activity at school could be substantially increased (Bassett et al., 2013; see 
Figure 2-9; see also Chapter 7):
•
Compared with no physical education, a usual physical education 
class adds about 23 minutes of vigorous- or moderate-intensity 
physical activity to a student’s day.
•
Using a standardized high-quality physical education program can 
add another 5 minutes. High-quality or enhanced physical education