Five Questions State Boards Should Ask about Students’ Access to Physical Education

Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, memory, and focus. Physical activity during the school day also benefits students’ physical and mental well-being. As states reel from learning loss and an ongoing youth mental health crisis, state policymakers can help balance students’ physical, emotional, and cognitive development by ensuring they have access to physical education and other school-based opportunities for physical activity.

Students whose schools provide them a high-quality physical education are equipped for life to maintain their physical health and social well-being and regulate their emotions. Physical education is the keystone of the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) framework, which fosters whole-child health by encouraging school districts to meet the nationally recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day while building students’ knowledge of healthy behaviors and habits.