close window

State requirements for P.E. decline significantly at the high school level.

Executive Summary: While states require anywhere from 30 to 150 minutes a week for physical education (P.E.) at the elementary school level, many states have much lower or no requirements for P.E. at the high school level. The 2001 Shape of the Nation Report summarizes the results of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education's survey of fifty state departments of education. It reports that only 8 states require two or more years of high school P.E. for graduation; most o f the other states require only one year or allow local districts to set requirements. The majority of states also allow students to substitute for instructional P.E. such activities as ROTC, marching band, participation in varsity athletics, or other special activities.

Source: National Association for Sport and Physical Education. 2001 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA, 2002, page 3.

Web: http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm

close window
back to top