According to experts interviewed by the Government Accountability Office of the United States (GAO), budget cuts and lack of adequate spaces are the main problems that schools face in providing adequate sports for students. Some schools charge students who want to play sports and others train the kids in inappropriate places.

The report explains that the lack of funds makes difficult the hiring of physical education teachers, which consequently means student per class increase and there is less equipment. Thus, many schools chose to mitigate the problem with alternative income, for example, charging a fee depending on the specific sport they decide to enroll.

The report, approved in 2012, was prepared at the request of Congress to get a broader picture of the situation of sport in schools. Hence it follows that the option to charge this fee in public schools was declared "illegal" in two states because "it can have a negative impact on students whose families have less income."

Other states did not ban the so-called "pay-to-play" but decided not to charge students who cannot pay.

In contrast, the GAO found a school where "activities were held in the cafeteria." After practice "they had to clean and prepare everything for kids to eat, greatly reducing the time allocated for physical activity," said the report. Nine of the thirteen audited schools complained about the lack of space. Consequently, many schools choose to give several classes simultaneously or use alternative and unsuitable spaces.

According to surveys conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "54.9% of primary schools and 25.3% of high school used an alternative space for physical education classes."

Estimated percentage of schools offering physical education.

For the audit, "identifying which ways are best for increasing physical activity can be difficult" but it is necessary to "address the problems of childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles." It is "important to shore up these efforts and use it as a starting point to address health issues and costs that can be associated," the report concludes.