Schools
Newark Fifth Graders Top List of Unhealthy Children in Public Schools
Take a look at this chart to compare the fitness levels of children in your public school compared to others nearby.
More than forty-two percent of fifth graders in Newark Unified School District had unhealthy body compositions last school year, according to test results released Wednesday by the state Department of Education.
The annual test measures physical fitness in six categories: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extensor strength, upper body strength, and flexibility.
Statewide, one out of three fifth graders who took the test were placed in the "needs improvement" category for the body composition portion of the assessment.
Twenty six percent of the state's fifth graders, 32 percent of seventh graders and 37 percent of ninth graders scored in the "Healthy Fitness Zone" for all six areas, according to a press release from the California Department of Education.
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