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$10 Million Federal Challenge Aims to Make School Fitness Fun Again — But Not Everyone Agrees.
The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a $10 million prize competition designed to encourage schools and youth organizations to implement the Presidential Fitness Test and develop programs that promote lifelong healthy habits.
The Presidential Fitness School Innovation Challenge was announced October 1 at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, where HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and other officials joined students participating in fitness activities. The event also marked the launch of Fitness.gov, a central online resource for instructional materials related to the test.
The challenge aims to address a documented public health concern: only 20% to 28% of children ages 6 to 17 meet the federal recommendation of at least one hour of moderate or vigorous physical activity each day. Nearly 1 in 5 children is overweight or obese, and 77% of young Americans are ineligible for military service, with poor health and physical fitness among the leading reasons.
How the Challenge Works
The competition includes two tracks offering a combined $10 million in awards:
Track 1 — $7 million total: Awards ranging from $20,000 to $1 million for organizations that have implemented innovative Presidential Fitness Test approaches and can demonstrate results, lessons learned, and plans to sustain or expand.
Track 2 — $3 million total: Vouchers ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for organizations that create encouraging fitness experiences and have plans to use equipment to support continued physical activity.
Eligible applicants include schools, school districts, state and local education agencies, and youth-serving organizations. Submissions are due February 5, 2027, with winners announced in spring 2027.
The Test Itself
The restored Presidential Fitness Test measures students across three core areas:
- Core strength: curl-ups or planks
- Upper body: push-ups or pull-ups
- Cardiovascular endurance: one-mile run or 20-meter beep test
The White House standards list benchmarks for each age and sex, with a Presidential Award, National Award, and Certificate of Participation available for students who complete the test.
The test was originally established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and revamped by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. It was phased out by the Obama administration in 2012 in favor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which focused on individual health rather than competition.
The Debate
Supporters argue the test builds resilience and teaches students how to handle victory and defeat.
“If we’re going to be competitive internationally, we need to be competitive with each other,” Kennedy said at the signing of the executive order reviving the test. “We need to teach people how to win and how to lose and how to process victory and defeat.”
Education Secretary McMahon said physical fitness “builds confidence, cultivates resilience, shows how strong you can be, not just physically but mentally.”
But some researchers who study physical activity among children worry that dividing kids into winners and losers could discourage them from engaging in fitness. Russell Pate, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, said the test is not an indicator of overall health and that most kids will find it difficult to meet the benchmarks for the Presidential Fitness Award.
“It’s based on high-level performance in all the test items, and we know from long, hard experience that only a very small percentage of kids realistically can achieve that,” Pate said.
State Adoption
States across the country—Republican and Democrat alike—have already committed to bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to their schools, according to HHS:
- Virginia: State adoption order for 2026-27 school year
- Arkansas: State adoption order for 2026-27 school year
- Mississippi: State adoption order for 2026-27 school year
- Department of Defense Education Activity schools: Testing mandatory
- Navy installations: Rolled out through partnership between Navy Child and Youth Programs and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fitness
- Elsewhere: Participation is voluntary and decided by the state, district, or school
The test is also being rolled out across Navy installations, giving military-connected youth a consistent outlet as they navigate deployments and school transitions.
Who Benefits: Students who engage with the test and build fitness habits; schools that win funding for equipment and programming; communities with underfunded PE programs.
Who Is Harmed: Students who feel discouraged by competitive testing rather than supported in individual progress; schools without resources to implement programs competitively.
Closing Question: Should school fitness testing focus on competition and national benchmarks, or on individual progress and lifelong habits?
Sources
[Washington Examiner, “HHS launches $10 million challenge related to Presidential Fitness Test”](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/4750785/rfk-jr-hhs-presidential-fitness-test-challenge/) (September 30, 2026)
[HHS.gov, “Secretary Kennedy Restores the Presidential Fitness Test, Launches Get Kids Active”](https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/secretary-kennedy-restores-presidential-fitness-test-launches-get-kids-active.html) (June 29, 2026)
[KXAN Austin, “RFK Jr. launches school fitness challenge in Austin”](https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/rfk-jr-launches-school-fitness-challenge-in-austin/) (September 30, 2026)
[NBC News, “Kennedy to roll out $10 million challenge to encourage Presidential Fitness Test in schools”](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/presidential-fitness-test-rfk-10-million-dollars-rcna600790) (September 30, 2026)
[White House, “Presidential Physical Fitness Test”](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fitness/) (2026)
[Medical Daily, “Schools Can Win Up to $1 Million in $10 Million Federal Student Fitness Challenge”](https://www.medicaldaily.com/presidential-fitness-school-innovation-challenge-10-million-479466) (October 2, 2026)
[Navy.mil, “Navy Shore Enterprise Rolls Out Modernized Presidential Fitness Test”](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/4600475/navy-shore-enterprise-rolls-out-modernized-presidential-fitness-test/) (September 14, 2026)
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