India’s largest longitudinal school fitness study has found clear evidence that structured Physical Education (PE) programmes significantly improve student health outcomes.
The 14th Annual Health Survey by Sportz Village EduSports assessed 1,41,840 children across 333 schools in 112 cities. The survey shows that students enrolled in structured PE for two consecutive years improved overall fitness from 66% to 82% — a 16 percentage-point jump. Schools conducting over 80 PE sessions annually reported 86% overall fitness.
Fitness levels had dropped sharply from 70.5% in 2020 to 56.2% in 2022 due to pandemic disruptions. Recovery accelerated once schools resumed structured activity, with 2025 overall fitness reaching 84.8%. Despite the comeback, aerobic fitness remains critically low, with only one-third of students meeting benchmarks.
The survey also reveals gender differences. Girls outperform boys in five of seven parameters including BMI, flexibility, and strength. However, only 27% of girls meet aerobic capacity standards compared to 41% of boys.
Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO & MD, Sportz Village, said, “This year’s findings rearm something we have always believed – healthy childhoods are intentionally built! At a time when children are facing rising lifestyle-related health risks and growing emotional pressures, building healthy habits early has never been more important. Schools play a critical role by designing structured opportunities for movement, but lasting impact comes when families and communities support the same environment. As a country, we must continue to track and understand children’s well-being at scale, so that we can respond meaningfully and collectively. The opportunity before us is clear – to act with intent today and create healthier, happier childhoods for the years ahead.”
