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
