What Happens If You Fail Gym Class In High School?

From warming up to playing sports to some basic and advanced stretches; gym classes in high school are mostly mandatory, as many states demand students to attend a certain number of hours per week per semester. At the same time, while many students are often intrigued and find gym and PE classes fun, others might not be so interested, as much as they might be in any other subject.

However, as we all know, passing each and every subject in high school becomes a crucial affair, but does this imply for gym classes in high school as well?

While there can be a situation, that due to a student’s dislike, reluctance, or disinterest towards sports, gym or PE as a whole, the student might fail their gym class, but pass the rest of the subjects. Therefore, does the student pass in such cases, or does it become crucial for the budding learners to pass all subjects, including gym to get graduated from high school? We’ll find out in this blog. 

Will you fail high school, if you fail Gym?

While it is a known fact that students choose the combination of their subjects in high school. While some might go for a foreign language, science, and maths, others might choose PE(Physical Education), arts, and sociology. It is crucial for high schoolers to pass their main subjects. Hence, if PE is one of the main subjects, then passing that subject becomes more than crucial. However, this rule can differ from state to state and can be different for every school district. 

While the latter years of school can be a tough and exhausting time for the kids, considering that there is a lot of pressure, study-wise, often classes like gym and PE are put secondary, as more emphasis is put on other crucial subjects. At the same time, PE might make some kids feel that they might not be star athletes, and this can make all the difference, as these kids are further, less interested in attending the gym classes. However, some states like New York and California make it crucial for high schoolers to pass gym to make them eligible to graduate and get their diploma, without which, they would not be able to apply for colleges. 

Talking about New York City, the state law concludes that a high schooler must-have gym class for 180 minutes per week for 7 semesters, or 90 minutes per week for 8 semesters. At the same time, these students must earn at least 4 or equivalent credits in PE, so that they can graduate. The law also states that this class should be conducted by a certified PE teacher. 

At the same time, when it comes to Ontario, and some other states like California, the students must earn 18 credits, including 1 in PE. Hence, here too, passing the subject becomes crucial. 

For further information, here is a list of states that demands students to pass physical education.

  1. Connecticut
  2. Maine
  3. Maryland
  4. Massachusetts
  5. New Hampshire
  6. New Jersey
  7. New York 
  8. Alabama
  9. West Virginia
  10. Tennessee
  11. Illinois
  12. Indiana
  13. California
  14. New Mexico
  15. Texas

On the other hand, other states like Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Hawaii, and Wyoming require physical education only uptil junior high school. At the same time, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado are the only states that do not have requirements for students at any grade level. 

Summing up

From climbing rocks and ropes to doing pushups and playing sports, quite a lot of times, movies and series might cast a weird impression in our minds, regarding PE classes. However, gym classes are much different that what most feel.

With the focus of keeping students active, these classes work on the motive of helping students develop fine motor skills, reduce stress, and keep the physicality of the student in shape. At the same time, the PE classes have activities that work and promote muscular strength, endurance and flexibility.

On the downside, many students, educators, and parents feel that high school being a crucial year, these PE classes often take up too much time, that can be used in the preparation for college and high school exams. However, if you are in a state where passing PE is absolutely imperative, nothing much can be done about it, as the students must score the given credits anyhow, if they wish to apply to colleges successfully after high school. 

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