MOST A.V. STUDENTS ARE LESS THAN FIT SMALL PERCENTAGE MEET STANDARDS.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- Fewer than one in five Antelope Valley youngsters can pass all the state's physical-fitness tests, a state report released Friday showed.

Of the more than 20,000 local fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders tested in running, pull-ups, push-ups and three other areas, only about 3,900 -- or about 19 percent -- could meet the state's minimum standards in all six.

Statewide, the average was 27.5 percent. Los Angeles County's average was 23.9 percent.

Locally, youngsters from Edwards Air Force Base, Boron and North Edwards in the Muroc Joint Unified School District were the top local performers, with 36 percent of the students tested meeting or exceeding all the fitness standards.

The only other local school district to score above the state average was Westside Union School District, in which 31 percent of students tested met all six fitness standards

The lowest-performing local district was Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District, in which 8.4 percent of the students tested met the fitness benchmarks.

Students were deemed physically fit if they met standards in six categories measuring aerobic capacity, percentage of body fat, abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength, upper body strength and overall flexibility.

Students were tested in a one-mile run or walk; stomach curl-ups; push-ups; pull-ups; trunk lifting; and sit-and-reach exercises.

The standards vary, depending on gender and age. For example, a 10-year-old boy must complete seven to 20 push-ups, while a 17-year-old must do 18 to 35.

Girls ages 10 to 17 must do seven to 15 push-ups.

In 2005-06, 1,389,280 students in California were tested. Of those, 382,118 met all six fitness standards.

``The 2006 test scores show a modest 1 percent gain in overall performance compared to last year's results,'' State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said. ``These numbers tell us that too many of our students are leading sedentary lives exacerbated by poor eating habits. This is a destructive trend that has resulted in an epidemic of childhood obesity and must be reversed.''

In the Southern Kern Unified School District, 20.4 percent of students met all minimum standards, followed by the Lancaster School District with 19.9 percent, and the Palmdale School District with 18.2 percent.

In the Antelope Valley Union High School District, 17 percent of students met the mark, while 16.2 percent of students in both the Keppel Union and Wilsona school districts met the standards.

In the Eastside Union School District, the figure was 9.9 percent and in Mojave, it was 9.5 percent.

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