The three county high schools will be in new regions yet again when fall athletics start in 2012. The Georgia High School Association approved the plan to divide its 440 member schools into six classifications — up from five, with the change set to take place next year. 

Schools will be placed into classification based on their full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment numbers. A proposed policy to allow schools to drop eligible special-needs students wasn’t part of the final plan. The FTE numbers will reflect the total student population.

The addition of a sixth classification more evenly distributes schools but there are still some lopsided numbers. Class A will have 97 schools and be the largest of the six classifications. Of those 97 schools, 71 play football. Class AAAAAA will have 65 schools in it while AAAAA and AAAA will have 71. Class AAA will have 70 and 66 schools will make up AA.

Alcovy and Newton will be in the largest classification. The move won’t affect Newton so much as it will Alcovy. The Tigers have been in Class AAAA or the second highest classification since 2006 — the year Alcovy opened. Newton has been a part of the largest classification for several years now. The move also sets the two schools up to play in the same region although the regions have yet to be outlined. Still, with the proximity of the two schools, chances are both will be in the same region.

Eastside will move to AAAA. Since dropping down to AAA or the third largest classification in 2008, the Eagles have fared well against their competition in several sports. The wrestling team won two Class AAA state titles and the football and softball teams have become a perennial powerhouse. The move to AAAA would more or less be the same as staying in AAA under the current system. The one exception from a football standpoint is Peach County, long known as a Class AAA football power, will drop down a classification. Still, the schools that have consistently been a thorn in Eastside football’s side will stay in the same classification.

Schools can choose to play up a classification. They have until Dec. 5 to petition to the GHSA whether or not they want to move up. Some recent examples of school’s choosing to move up include Stephenson which was bumped to AAAA before the beginning of last year. Stephenson chose to stay in Class AAAAA thus remaining in Region 2-AAAAA with Newton and may chose to do so again. The GHSA plans to place schools in regions Dec. 6 with a finalized alignment plan set for Jan. 10.

Class AAAAAA

Mill Creek 2,766

Norcross 2,709

Brookwood 2,560

Collins Hill 2,539

Berkmar 2,512

Peachtree Ridge 2,435

Meadowcreek 2,357

Lowndes 2,346

East Coweta 2,143

Camden County 2,127

Parkview 2,125

Central Gwinnett 2,105

North Cobb 2,061

Milton 2,058

Duluth 2,006

South Gwinnett 1,994

Walton 1,987

Grayson 1,978

Roswell 1,970

North Gwinnett 1,902

Newnan 1,845

Alpharetta 1,805

Campbell 1,800

Etowah 1,783

Lambert 1,775 *

Colquitt County 1,749

Cherokee 1,741

Marietta 1,680

North Forsyth 1,679 *

Shiloh 1,670

Bethany Bend 1,663 *

McEachern 1,658

Tift County 1,649

South Forsyth 1,646 *

Archer 1,631

Alcovy 1,609

Wheeler 1,605

Coffee 1,602

West Forsyth 1,598 *

Hillgrove 1,596

Pebblebrook 1,588

Mountain View 1,581

Luella 1,560

Lovejoy 1,552

South Cobb 1,549

Newton 1,526

Lassiter 1,524

Langston Hughes 1,515

Kennesaw Mountain 1,513

Brunswick 1,509

Douglas County 1,502 *

Harrison 1,491

Chattahoochee 1,487

Woodstock 1,483

Westlake 1,482

Centennial 1,480

Dacula 1,473

Valdosta 1,468

Druid Hills 1,450

Habersham Central 1,450

Effingham County 1,447

Johns Creek 1,443

Rockdale County 1,441

Tri-Cities 1,439

Morrow 1,431

Class AAAA

Wayne County 1,110

South Effingham 1,107

LaGrange 1,100

River Ridge 1,096

Cass 1,094

Grady 1,094

Statesboro 1,091

Windsor Forest 1,091

Griffin 1,090

Jonesboro 1,089

Woodland, Henry 1,088

Madison County 1,085

Stockbridge 1,078

Baldwin 1,068

Eastside 1,066

Troup County 1,065

Alexander 1,063 *

Southeast Whitfield 1,058 *

Heritage, Catoosa 1,047

Carver, Atlanta 1,045

Fayette County 1,043

Ridgeland 1,043

Chamblee 1,037

Dutchtown 1,034

Lanier 1,031

Upson-Lee 1,026

Columbia 1,024

Richmond Academy 1,021

Columbus 1,020

Americus-Sumter 1,013

Gilmer 1,012

Cross Creek 1,012

Veterans 1,003

Carrollton 1,000

Lithonia 996

Spalding 995

Riverdale 993

Jenkins 991

Westside, Macon 989

Monroe 987

Northwest Whitfield 984 *

Johnson, Gainesville 982

Pickens 978

Banneker 976

Dalton 975 *

Burke County 961

Redan 960

Walnut Grove 956

Eagle’s Landing 952

Locust Grove 942

Therrell 941

Howard 939

Chestatee 932

Mary Persons 930

Sandy Creek 928

West Laurens 927

Liberty County 923

Rutland 917

Perry 916

Shaw 908

Cairo 906

LaFayette 905

Stephens County 895

Crisp County 887

South Atlanta 885

Stone Mountain 883

Cedartown 883

Westover 881

Lumpkin County 881

Monroe Area 880

Hephzibah 862

* projected