Percentage of Students in Phys.-Ed. Classes Declining, C.D.C. Reports

By Peter West

The percentage of students enrolled in physical-education courses has dropped dramatically in the past five years, and even students enrolled in such courses may not be getting sufficient exercise, according to a new report by the federal Centers for Disease Control.

In an article earlier this month, the C.D.C. reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that 52.0 percent of females and 43.5 percent of males in a national sample of 11,631 students in grades 9-12 were not enrolled...