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Notes -
Maths classes were, at least in my school, split by ability, while PE classes were not, at all. Even if you did that, PE classes are also divided by gender, so there would be a wider range of ability in them than in similar sized maths classes. I don't really think it's the same problem at all.
I remember in high school that 'making the cut' for any sports team got you out of PE, so the most athletic kids weren't in PE classes.
Now I also remember a lot of PE classes along the lines of 'run four(?) laps around the track and you're done after that' so students ran at their own pace.
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Are you certain there wasn't some form of de facto splitting into higher and lower performance PE classes? How it worked back at my highschool was that there were multiple tiers of phys ed offered, and on paper the most advanced course was intended for senior students, but in actuality any sports team members and anyone who just wanted to participate was in this more demanding "just train with the football team and their coaches" tier as soon as they wanted to be.
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Not always. I went to private school up until 8th grade, then public high school, both in Fairfax County, VA. All my P.E. classes were co-ed.
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