In addition to higher academic scores, Hart district officials can now tout higher averages on physical fitness tests, as well, according to state figures.

Statewide, more than one-quarter of ninth-grade students tested for body composition fell in the range considered “high risk” for health problems, according to state figures. Locally, William S. Hart Union High School District ninth-graders were around 19 percent.

“We’re very proud of our students and their commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and these test scores that put them above and beyond the state and the county,” said Gail Pinsker, Hart district spokeswoman.

Approximately 55 percent of statewide students tested in the healthy fitness zone for body composition, while 65 percent of local students were in this category.

For seventh graders, the statewide figure for body composition was at 30 percent for high risk, while locally that figure was at 23 percent.

Nearly 13 percent of ninth-graders were considered at high risk for health problems due to their results in aerobic capacity, while locally that figure was at 9 percent.

As part of a statewide initiative, the program tested more than 5,000 students in seventh and ninth grade in the William S. Hart Union High School District in six categories.

Statewide, only 1-in-3 California kids posted healthy scores in all six of the areas tested, according to state Department of Education figures

While aerobic capacity is a significant fitness element, body composition is perhaps “the most important indicator of who will develop future health problems, according to the state’s report.

The testing is part of the state’s Team California for Healthy Kids program, which is engaging celebrities, community leaders and officials to campaign for healthier children.

The program was created in 1996, and tests fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grade students in aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper body strength and flexibility.