By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Presidential Fitness Test could return to Oklahoma schools to evaluate students’ physical performance, under a state Senate bill and a nationwide executive order.
Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, announced Wednesday he filed legislation that would bring the physical fitness test back to public schools statewide, aligning with an executive orderfrom President Donald Trump. Pugh leads two Senate committees on education and is a Republican candidate for state superintendent of public schools.
At the time it was eliminated in 2012, the Presidential Fitness Test included a one-mile run, sit-ups, a shuttle run, a sit-and-reach test, and pull-ups or push-ups.
Oklahoma school districts would have to implement the test starting in the 2026-27 academic year if Pugh’s Senate Bill 1437 passes in the coming legislative session, which begins Feb. 2.
“Physical activity is one of the most important investments we can make in our kids’ future,” Pugh said in his announcement. “Being active and healthy isn’t just about strength or endurance. It’s about building a foundation for better mental health, stronger academic performance and long-term wellbeing.”
Trump’s July 31 executive order reestablished the test and reconvened the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, which will issue recommendations for the test’s administration.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the first iteration of a national youth fitness test in 1956 with an emphasis on military readiness.
President Barack Obama replaced the test in 2012 with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which promoted living a physically active and healthy lifestyle rather than measuring athletic performance.
Pugh’s bill would direct the Oklahoma State Department of Education to create guidelines for administering the Presidential Fitness Test. Those guidelines would have to be based on recommendations from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The guidance must include training for personnel to administer the test.
Students’ fitness results shouldn’t impact their grade point average, Pugh told Oklahoma Voice.
Rather, school districts should use the test results to promote the physical and mental benefits of daily movement, exercise and good nutrition; modify activity opportunities offered to students; and encourage participating in physical activities inside and outside the school setting, according to the bill’s text.
“This legislation encourages healthy habits early in life and supports a culture of fitness that benefits students for a lifetime,” Pugh said when announcing the bill. “These are foundational habits that support overall health and that should always be our goal.”
Families would have the option to opt out their children from taking the fitness test, according to the bill. Further exemption guidelines would apply to students with disabilities, medical conditions or other factors impacting their ability to complete the test.
The Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program, a $233 million federally funded initiative, will provide $4 million to rural schools for exercise equipment, a cardio and walking-focused app for students, and professional development for physical education teachers — all with the goal of implementing the Presidential Fitness Test.
The Rural Health Transformation Program provides federal dollars intended to offset Medicaid cuts that were included in the “big, beautiful” budget policy that Trump signed into law in July.
