Virginia governor signs executive order to bring presidential fitness test back to schools

Scott Gelman | sgelman@wtop.com
November 10, 2025, 3:57 PM

The Presidential Fitness Test could return to Virginia public schools as early as next fall, as part of an executive order Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed last week.

Under Executive Order 55, the Virginia Department of Education is tasked with providing school districts with the necessary guidance to implement the physical test. The goal is for local school systems to start using the test by the start of the next school year.

The order also creates a Presidential Fitness Test Task Force, which will help with implementation plans.

“We’re not just mandating this,” Virginia Education Secretary Aimee Guidera said. “We’re actually, as we do with everything, working in partnership with our local school divisions to provide them the resources, tools, information, best practices, so that they have help about what are best practices out there and how do we roll this out.”

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