Schools
How Fit are Walnut Creek's Students?
The results of the state's 2009-10 physical fitness test show that public school students in districts that serve Walnut Creek are in better shape on average than students elsewhere in the state.
Anywhere from 14 to 30 percent of tweens and teens in the three main public school districts serving Walnut Creek aren't getting enough exercise, according to a state report released Thursday.
However, fifth, seventh and ninth-grade students in the Mt. Diablo Unified, Walnut Creek, and Acalanes Union High school districts are generally more fit on than students throughout the state.
Student scores are based on a variety of physical fitness tests, such as: how fast they can walk or run a mile; how many abdominal curls, push ups, pull-ups, and leg lifts they can perform. They are also measured for body fat and on how far they can reach when sitting up with their legs stetched in front of them.
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According to the 2009-10 report released by State Superintendent Tom Torlakson, 65 percent of fifth graders met the "healthy fitness zone" requirements for aerobic capacity while 69 percent hit that standard for body composition. Sixty-seven percent of seventh graders statewide met the requirements for aerobic capacity, while 69 percent hit that standard for body composition. As for for ninth graders, 64 percent met the requirements for aerobic capacity while 71 percent hit that standard for body composition.
The charts below show fitness divided into six categories, including aerobic capacity and body composition.
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In all six categories, Walnut Creek School District 5th and 7th graders scored anywhere from 73 to 98 percent in the healthy fitness zone requirements. Mt. Diablo Unified fifth graders scored a low of 56 percent for flexibility; all the other scores for the district's fifth,, seventh and ninth-graders were anywhere from 64 to 89 percent. Acalanes school district's ninth graders were the fittest of all students, with the lowest score of 82 percent for body composition and the highest of 94 for trunk extensor strength.
Walnut Creek Elementary School District
Grade 5 Grade 7 Total1Tested % In HFZ % Not in HFZ Total1
Tested % In HFZ % Not in HFZ Physical Fitness Area
Aerobic Capacity 358 72.9
27.1 346 94.2 5.8 Body Composition 358 77.9
22.1 346 83.5 16.5 Abdominal Strength 358 94.7
5.3 346 96.8 3.2 Trunk Extensor Strength 358 91.6 8.4 346 97.7 2.3 Upper Body Strength 358 93.0 7.0 346 93.4 6.6 Flexibility 358 96.9 3.1 346 98.3 1.7
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Grade 5 Grade 7 Grade 9 Total1Tested % In HFZ % Not in HFZ Total1
Tested % In HFZ % Not in HFZ Total1
Tested % In HFZ % Not in HFZ Physical Fitness Area
Aerobic Capacity 2,570 69.8 30.2 2,176 66.5 33.5 2,625 64.4 35.6 Body Composition 2,570 72.1 27.9 2,176 70.7 29.3 2,625 72.2 27.8 Abdominal Strength 2,570 69.6 30.4 2,176 83.2 16.8 2,625 88.9 11.1 Trunk Extensor Strength 2,570 76.5 23.5 2,176 85.9 14.1 2,625 89.6 10.4 Upper Body Strength 2,570 72.2 27.8 2,176 74.6 25.4 2,625 72.6 27.4 Flexibility 2,570 56.1 43.9 2,176 72.3 27.7 2,625 78.9 21.1
Acalanes Union High School District
Grade 9 Total1Teste % In HFZ % Not in HFZ
Aerobic Capacity
Abdominal Strength
1,389 93.4 6.6Trunk Extensor Strength
1,389 93.7 6.3Upper Body Strength
1,389 83.5 16.5Flexibility
1,389 82.5 17.5
Source: California Department of Education
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