<![CDATA[Cardiovascular fitness is an important component of physical fitness that supports health and physical activity performance among elementary school students. However, routine physical activity in physical education classes does not always provide a structured and progressive training stimulus to improve cardiorespiratory capacity. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a circuit training model in improving cardiovascular fitness among elementary school students. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was employed. Sixty fifth-grade elementary school students aged 10–11 years participated in the study and were assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The experimental group participated in a 12-week circuit training program conducted three times per week, whereas the control group continued regular school-based physical activities. Cardiovascular fitness was assessed before and after the intervention using the 20-m multistage shuttle run test, also known as the Multistage Fitness Test (MFT). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a mixed-design analysis of variance with a significance level of ? = 0.05. The results showed that the experimental group achieved a greater improvement in MFT performance than the control group. A significant time-by-group interaction was observed (p < 0.001), with the effect size indicating a practically meaningful impact of the intervention on cardiovascular fitness. These findings indicate that a 12-week structured circuit training program is effective in improving cardiovascular fitness among elementary school students and may serve as a practical and progressive alternative for physical education programs in school settings.]]>
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