State law says elementary school students are supposed to get three hours and 20 minutes of physical education every two weeks. But that can be difficult at a campus without a gymnasium – when it's raining or so cold that kids' fingers go numb.

Though gymnasiums are common at high schools and middle schools, they're harder to find at elementary schools – where child fitness experts say healthy habits are molded.

According to recent California Department of Education statistics, roughly a third of California students met all standards measured on the state's annual physical fitness test last school year. Elementary kids were even less fit; only 28.5 percent measured up. In Sacramento County, 29.1 percent of elementary students tested met fitness standards.

The state tests students annually in grades five, seven and nine to gauge aerobic ability, strength and flexibility.

Improving their numbers is a challenge for administrators at elementary schools without gyms.

"On rainy days, I was out of luck," said Paul Bowling, physical education coach at C.B. Wire Elementary School. When the weather was bad, students were stuck inside during recess or P.E., idly working on art projects.

"Everyone should at least have a room," he said.

Before C.B. Wire Elementary dedicated a room recently to fitness and bought exercise equipment, school officials said they often were out of compliance with state physical education requirements when weather turned bad.

Dennis Styne, a professor of pediatrics at University of California, Davis, said elementary schools moved away from building gymnasiums over the past few decades in favor of multipurpose rooms that could double as cafeterias, assembly rooms or exercise rooms.

As a result, he said, "We don't have facilities, we don't have athletic equipment that's adequate and we don't have enough gym instructors."

At C.B. Wire, using the multipurpose room for fitness just wasn't practical. Between the breakfast and lunch programs, the room is free for only an hour each day.

But Bowling and school administrators scored a state grant last year to bolster arts and physical education. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – a fitness enthusiast – and the Legislature designated a $500 million grant for California schools for training and equipment.

The focus on youth fitness may have made a difference.

Students taking the state physical fitness test have improved since last year, state figures show. There was a 5.5 percent jump among ninth-graders showing overall fitness, a 2 percent increase among seventh-graders, and a 1.4 percent jump among fifth-graders.

"We're moving in the right direction," said state schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell. "But we must make a commitment to improve these numbers. There's no fiscal excuse."

Without fitness facilities, closing the gap will be difficult, say experts.

"If you're a child with a parent with two or three jobs in this difficult time, the school is the only outlet for activity the child might have all week," Styne said. "So the schools need facilities and they need equipment."

Tameka Williams watched recently while her fifth-grade son lifted weights in the new fitness room at C.B. Wire. "A lot of kids need this to burn off some energy so they can focus in class," she said.

So far, administrators at C.B. Wire have spent roughly $8,000 on supplies and sports equipment and have about $10,000 left to spend in the next few years.

For some of Bowling's students, the workout regimen has boosted ego along with fitness.

"I'm the strongest girl in the class," said Dominique Osby, 10, who later made the claim she was also the fastest in the class. "How much do you weigh? I can pick you up."

Call The Bee's Robert Faturechi, (916) 321-1098.