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North Carolina High School Athletic Association expanding from 4 to 8 classifications

Brayden Stamps

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WGHP) — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is expanding from four classifications to eight, according to Polk Sports.

The changes will go into effect beginning with the 2025-26 school year after the board of directors voted on Wednesday to expand during the next realignment period.


Currently, the NCHSAA is divided into four classifications: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A. Student population sizes determine the classifications, with 4A being home to the largest populations and 1A being home to the smallest ones.

Schools are then divided into several smaller conferences based on regional locations.

Each of the four classifications has its own state championship. It is not yet clear if there will 8 state championships under the new model or if some of the classifications will combine to determine state champions.

Listed below are the current classifications and conferences of schools in the Triad:

4A

3A

2A

1A

It is not yet clear how schools will realign as a result of the expansion.

The NCHSAA approved Bylaw VI in the spring, which limited the total number of schools in a classification to 64.

The bylaw reads as follows:

For purposes of athletic competition, the number of classifications shall be based on the total number of member schools, with no classification exceeding sixty-four schools.

When at least 25 percent of the total number of member schools, or at least half the schools in a classification, participate in a sport sanctioned by the NCHSAA, that sport shall culminate in a state championship for that classification. When less than half of the schools in a classification participate, those schools shall be grouped with schools from the next largest classification(s) not having fifty percent participation in that sport to create a state playoff bracket culminating in a multi-class state championship. If only one classification has less than fifty percent of schools participating in a sport, the schools in that classification shall have a reduced playoff bracket by one round. If that is not possible, then the schools of that classification shall be placed in the state playoffs of the next highest classification.

The initial classification plan using this format will be effective with the 2025-26 school year and shall solely use the ADM figures averaging the daily membership in grades 9,10, 11 and 12 for the first month as submitted to the State Department of Public Instruction. The classification and alignment plan shall be adopted by the Board of Directors every four years and will be effective for a four-year period.

Schools may request reclassification in the second year of the alignment period by following the process published by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall distribute to all member schools and systems annually the process and criteria for classification and alignment, the process for requesting reclassification in the second year of the alignment period, and the process for appealing the classification and alignment decisions of the Association. (Approved April 2023, 335-49)

NCHSAA Bylaw VI

Polk Sports reports that there are 440 schools that are either current or pending NCHSAA members, meaning that the NCHSAA would have been forced to expand to at least seven classifications to meet the 64-team limit.

However, even with expanding to seven classifications, the NCHSAA would remain on the verge of hitting the 64-team limit. Thus expanding to eight provides the NCHSAA with some flexibility.