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Participation in sports inside and outside school has increased in the 
past 20 years. According to the latest report of the National Federation 
of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) (2012), participation in high 
school sports nearly doubled in 2011-2012 relative to 1971-1972. While 
boys’ participation increased by about 22 percent during these years, girls’ 
participation increased about 10-fold. Table 6-2 documents the change by 
decade.
Figure 6-5 shows the ratio of growth in boys’ and girls’ participation 
in sports relative to the total enrollment in U.S. high schools during the five 
decades. The data show that while the ratio for boys has remained steady 
at about 40-50 percent, the ratio for girls has increased from 4 percent in 
1971-1972 to 40 percent in 2011-2012.
Nationwide, 77 percent of middle schools and 91 percent of high 
schools offer at least one interscholastic sport (Lee et al., 2007), and 48 per-

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
280
 
Educating the Student Body
TAbLE 6-2 Change in Participation in High School Sports in the Past 
Five Decades 
Boys
Girls
School Year