Asked why hers are the fittest elementary students in Marin, Reed Union District Superintendent Chris Carter is quick to praise her schools' curriculum, her teachers and their relentless focus on nutrition and exercise.

But Carter also credits her district's parent-funded foundation, which has kept Reed's physical education program intact at a time when those in other districts have fallen to state cuts.

"The economic pressure is facing all of us," Carter said. "For now, our elementary PE teachers are being funded through our foundation, which is working really hard to continue to bring in that income for us. We're already losing so much money because of the state crisis, and we don't want to cut anything - but we're only hanging on because of the support of our foundation."

About 74 percent of Reed's fifth-graders achieved high scores in six categories on the state's annual physical fitness test, according to results released Monday. The students' performance in those categories - aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper-body strength and flexibility - put them far ahead of county and state averages. About 45 percent of Marin's fifth-graders did as well, while just 29 percent of fifth-graders throughout the state met all six categories.

"In spite of the fact that at all grade levels, in all six areas, Marin County students were above the statewide average, we know how important it is to ensure that our children

Marin's middle and high school students also scored well above the state average. About 48 percent of seventh-graders scoring well in all six areas - as opposed to 34.1 percent statewide - with the Larkspur School District scoring highest, at 52 percent. Roughly 56 percent of Marin's ninth-graders did well in all categories, significantly higher than the state's average of 38 percent, with the Tamalpais Union High School District's score of 68 percent the county's highest.

"Since the revision of our health and nutrition policies came out a couple of years ago, our health and safety teachers have embraced standards and effective teaching practices, integrating nutrition and the sciences wherever they can to help our kids understand why it's important to be fit," said Larkspur Superintendent Valerie Pitts. "Physical education isn't just about learning a sport or running drills. It's about really understanding fitness as it relates to the self as an individual and a team member."

According to the state's criteria, students who perform well in all six categories have achieved a level of fitness thought to provide some protection from potential health risks, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. More than 1.38 million students statewide took the test last year, and more than half of fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders met at least five of the six targets.

"National statistics show that today's children are twice as likely to be overweight as their counterparts of the 1980s," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. "Our students must take responsibility for their fitness, health and overall well-being so they can compete on the playing field, in the classroom and on the global stage."

Test results are available online at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf

Contact Rob Rogers via e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com