California kids shape up a little

California public school students are slightly trimmer and fitter than they were a year ago, but many still are unable to meet the state's basic level of fitness, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Education. And students in Los Angeles, especially high school students, were significantly less fit than the state average.

About 60% of students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades statewide passed an aerobic fitness test, up roughly 3% from last year. Nearly a third of the students passed all of the six criteria that the state uses to determine fitness.

But aerobic fitness rates were significantly lower for ninth-graders than for younger children, and nearly a third of all students failed the "body composition" test, which measures fat.

More on CA fitness scores....