BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- California students have made some gains in health and fitness levels, but still only about one-third of those tested get into what the state calls the Healthy Fitness Zone. Kern County students lag even farther behind state averages in the 2009 report.

The statistics for the 2008-09 school year came out Monday from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

"I am pleased that our students continue to make strides toward becoming physically fit," reads the statement from Jack O'Connell.

But, he says much more must be done. O'Connell said national figures show today's kids are twice as likely to be overweight as children in the 1980s, and teenagers are three times as likely to be overweight.

"Our students must take responsibility for their fitness, health, and overall well-being so they can compete on the playing field, in the classroom, and on the global stage," O' Connell said.

Washington Middle School physical education teacher Jonathan Frehling worries about the fitness of the state's children.

"It's not what I want it to be," he said Monday.

But, Frehling says a program at his school works to get kids healthier, and scores for his seventh-graders were much better.

"We're a lot higher across the board at Washington."

The state's Physical Fitness Test looks at six area of fitness. In Frehling's program, students scored between 78 percent and 96 percent in those categories. That's far above other averages in the state report.

Looking at students who scored in the Healthy Fitness Zone in all six benchmark areas, the state average for fifth-graders was 29 percent, for seventh-graders 34.1 percent and for ninth graders it was 37 percent.

The average scores for the entire Bakersfield City School District were 13.7 percent for fifth-graders and 19.7 percent for seventh-graders.

For both the state and most local schools, that leaves at least two-thirds of the kids below of the healthy fitness zone.

Frehling said they make a special effort at Washington.

"We spend a lot of time on body composition, body movement and core strength," he said.

Frehling also runs a "boot camp" five times a year. That lasts one week each time, and kids work a circuit doing sprints and calisthenics like push-ups and jumping jacks.

Frehling said a lot of things could add up to make too many California kids not healthy and prone to overweight. For some, it's tough to find good places to play in their neighborhoods.

"The introduction of electronics, also computers and video games," Frehling said. "That takes part of that play time away."

He's convinced health and fitness are crucial not only to physical well-being but even school performance.

"By the time the children have left my class -- my program -- they're going on to their classes, they have the energy level to continue learning better," Frehling said.

To encourage good health, Frehling also teaches students about nutrition, diet and the need for enough sleep.

At Washington, students can also go to after-school sports programs. On Monday, girls worked on a basketball court and boys kicked around soccer balls. Frehling says any additional play time is important. He thinks kids need to learn basic skills, but then they need to keep moving as much as possible. And parents can help that, too.

"We can all try to get our own children out to a park, to learn how to kick, and throw, and catch a ball, play a Frisbee, do something."