Student Fitness and Academic Performance in West Virginia: A Longitudinal Examination During the 5th and 7th Grade Years

Background: Studies that examine the longitudinal fitness effects on student academics are limited. Purpose: A longitudinal examination was used to assess potential differences in academic achievement among children who may have gained or lost fitness over a two-year period. Significance: Increasing student fitness may be one way of improving academic performance in a school setting. Methodology: The study sample consisted of three cohorts of students (n=1,725) enrolled in a West Virginia public school system. Students received baseline fitness and academic assessments as fifth graders and follow-up assessments two years later. FITNESSGRAM was used to assess fitness in aerobic capacity, and WESTEST, a criterion-based assessment, for academic performance. Results: Students who stayed in the healthy fitness zone (HFz 5th and 7th) were found to have significantly higher WESTEST scores than students who stayed in the needs improvement zone (NIz 5th and 7th). Students who moved into the HFz or fell out of the HFz between 5th and 7th grades had similar WESTEST scores in both 5th and 7th grades. While WESTEST scores for students who moved into or out of the HFZ were occasionally significantly lower than students who stayed in the HFz, they were more often significantly higher than students who stayed in the NIz. Conclusions: Students' aerobic capacity is associated with academic achievement and moderate aerobic fitness may confer much of the benefit of being aerobically fit.