MAY 14, 2026 — Over 100 Crossroads Elementary School and Quantico Middle High School students participated in MCB Quantico’s Presidential Fitness Test at Butler Stadium, April 12.
“This was the kickoff [of the Presidential Fitness Test],” said Steve Simmons, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Military Community and Family Policy, following the PFT. “So, you kids are setting an example for your peers, the youth, and the rest of the Nation to follow.”
Throughout the entire event, music filled the stadium, Marines and family members danced and played with kids, and food and refreshments were provided for all.
Every student, ages 6 to 17, competed to earn the Presidential Fitness Award. They ran through the gauntlet of the three components of the event:
- Core and Abdominal Strength: curl‑ups or plank
- Upper Body Strength: pushups or pullups
- Cardiorespiratory Fitness: 1‑mile run or 20‑meter beep test
Out of all the students present, 15 earned the Presidential Fitness Award, including an unsuspecting Crossroads Elementary student in the 6-9 age group. As the 40-pound, 44-inch-tall girl walked up, the crowd awed, cheered, and applauded as the rest of the names were called.
Tired after a long day of tag, playing with friends and doing the PFT, the girl didn’t have much to say other than giving a thumbs up and some smiles. Her mother, though, explained her daughter’s greatest achievement was her plank, which was held for longer than two minutes.
Each Presidential Award recipient exemplified the words of Simmons, which echoed the sentiment of President Donald Trump after he signed the executive order that reinstated the PFT on July 31, 2025, making the PFT mandatory for the 161 schools across military installations.
A veteran of the previous rendition of the PFT before its removal by executive order in 2012 spoke of the benefits this reactivation has for students today.
“I think the Presidential Fitness Test gives all kids a universal baseline to think about how to push their fitness forward,” said Tiffany Hoben, the chief academic officer for the Department of War Education Activity. “I think it’s good for academic health, too, because when your body is right your mind is right.”
She continued, “We want our kids to not only be academically ready for the world but to be physically ready, too, and maintain their health over the years. I think the Presidential Fitness Test is a kickoff to get these kids thinking about life-long fitness journey as well.”
Each level of recognition for the PFT is earned by achieving the standard set by National levels across the three components for both age and gender. Each participant will receive a certificate and digital badge for their efforts, and those who earn the Presidential or National Physical Fitness Award will receive an embroidered patch for their performance.
To earn a Presidential Physical Fitness Award, for example, a 12-year-old boy must complete 50 curl-ups or a 92-second plank, run a seven-minute, 11-second mile or 62 laps of the 20-meter beep test, and 31 right angle pushups or six pullups.
Similarly, a girl the same age would need 45 curl-ups or a 92-second plank, an eight-minute, 23-second mile run or 45 laps of the 20-meter beep test, and 20 right angle pushups or two pullups to achieve the Presidential Fitness Award.
As set by National levels, students below this threshold but still have strong performance earn the National Physical Fitness Award. There were 19 students from the initial MCB Quantico PFT who earned this award.
Likewise, students whose performance was in good standing, regardless of performance level, earn the Certificate of Completion.
Students who do not complete the PFT the first time have a chance to complete another in a 13-month window, showing measurable improvement to earn Progress Recognition.
Thea Lopez Perish, the chief of specialized content innovation and instructional leadership DoWEA, explained none of this would have happened without the leaders of DoWEA and MCB Quantico’s leadership.
“The base and DoWEA worked really close together to plan the event, to make sure it is student friendly, and that the students are able to complete the test with confidence and safety,” she said.
Lopez Perish added that she is excited to see the PFT incorporated in their physical education classes, JROTC programs, and other aspects of the schools.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg and how we will continue to promote that healthy lifestyle and physical fitness [in our students],” she said.
History of the Presidential Fitness Test
The PFT traces back to the early 1950s, where a study was conducted comparing the fitness levels of American and European schoolchildren, revealing that 56% of American students failed at least one event, whereas only 8% of European children did.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower since then established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness by executive order in July 1956. A decade later, President Lyndon B. Johnson formally created the Presidential Physical Fitness Awards for children ages 10 to 17, and this persisted for more than four decades.
Since President Trump’s executive order was signed in July 2025, the order revoked a 2018 executive order governing the President’s Council on sports, fitness and nutrition, and it directed Secretary of Health and Human Services, with the support of the Secretary of Education, to bring back the PFT.
Now that MCB Quantico’s Crossroads Elementary School and Quantico Middle High School has set the pace for the military installations, the other 159 schools across the DoW will evaluate their youth and encourage presidential-level fitness.
Story by Shaehmus Sawyer
Marine Corps Base Quantico