SCHSL releases proposed reclassification for 2026-27, '27-28 school years
Proposal has AAAAA going from 54 schools to 40 and not being split into divisions
Sumter – There are plenty of significant changes awaiting South Carolina High School League sports following the release of the organization’s reclassification for the 2026-27 and ’27-28 school years on Friday.
Fifteen High School Sports Report sponsor schools are were affected by the reclassification. Fourteen of them are dropping down a class – Gaffney from AAAAA to AAAA, Camden, Hartsville and Emerald from AAAA to AAA, Dillon from AAA to AA and Andrews, Barnwell, Batesburg-Leesville, Cheraw, Chesterfield, Hampton County, Kingstree, Marion and Mullins from AA to Class A.
The only school moving up is Fox Creek from AAA to AAAA.
Realignment occurs every two years in an attempt to maintain the competition level. This year’s realignment is based on 45-day enrollment numbers from grades 9-11.
For the second straight realignment, an out-of-zone multiplier is being used. Any student who lives outside of the school’s assigned attendance zone is counted as three.
Schools will have a chance to appeal their class placement to the SCHSL Executive Committee. The appeal must be submitted in writing by 1 p.m. on Jan. 7. Appeals will be heard Jan. 13-14 with a second appeal, if needed, heard Jan. 15-16.
After that takes place, regions will be determined and will be released on Jan. 23. Schools will have the opportunity to appeal that as well. Appeals to the classification executive committee will be held Feb. 3-5 and then to the SCHSL Executive Committee on Feb. 10 and Appellate panel on Feb. 12.
Here’s a look at some of the changes for each of the classes.
AAAAA
The AAAAA classification is to be reduced from 54 to 40 schools. Also, after the class was split into two divisions the past two years and crowned separate state champions in each sport, all 40 schools will play for one title.
Despite the reduction in the number of schools, two schools will move from AAAA to AAAAA. They are Gray Collegiate Academy, a public charter school that uses the 3-times qualifier to determine its student enrollment, and South Florence.
The school with the largest enrollment is Dorman at 2,929, while Lucy Beckham has the smallest AAAAA enrollment at 1,458.
AAAA
The AAAA class is slated to increase by one from 41 to 42. Of course, with the 14-school reduction in AAAAA, there are plenty of changes.
Some of the other schools to drop down to AAAA are Irmo, T.L. Hanna, Westwood, Catawba Ridge, Nation Ford, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway and St. James.
Lake Wylie, which is opening in 2026 and just hired White Knoll’s Nick Pelham as its first football head coach, will start in AAAA. The school from which Lake Wylie is an offshoot, Clover, is penciled in for AAAA after being in AAAAA.
Another York County school, Legion Collegiate Academy in Rock Hill, is rejoining SCHSL as a AAAA school.
T.L. Hanna has the highest enrollment at 1,561 with the smallest being Colleton County at 981.
AAA
After having just 33 schools the past two years, AAA is set to have 40 for the next two years.
Some other schools making the drop from AAAA to AAA include Airport, Daniel, Darlington, Lower Richland, Bishop England, Lakewood, Crestwood and Gilbert.
A new school to SCHSL is Legacy Early College in Greenville, and it will start in AAA. Legacy, which doesn’t offer a team in all sports, is ineligible for championships in ’26-27, but will be able to compete after that.
There are four other schools that haven’t had football teams – Brashier Middle College, Greer Middle College, Bridges Preparatory School and GREEN Upstate, which is moving up from Class A.
Atlantic Collegiate Academy will be moving up from AA along with Brashier.
Airport has the largest enrollment at 1,042, while Loris has the smallest at 738.
AA
After having 45 schools, AA is slated to have 41 starting next year.
Some of the other schools dropping from AAA to AA are Woodruff, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, St. Joseph’s, Mountain View Prep, Waccamaw, Keenan, Silver Bluff, Southside Christian School and Newberry.
Charleston Charter Math/Science has the largest AA enrollment at 759. Blacksburg has the smallest at 492.
CLASS A
There are 66 schools slated to be in Class A starting in 2026-27 after 50 the last two years. There is a distinct possibility there will be two divisions because of the disparity in enrollment numbers.
The largest school is Ninety Six with an enrollment of 489. The smallest enrollment is South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind at 44. A football school with the smallest enrollment is No. 65 Calhoun Falls with 94.
There are 32 schools with enrollments of 303 or more and 34 with 297 or less.
Along with the nine aforementioned HSSR schools, Ninety Six is one of 15 schools to drop from AA. The others are Fairfield Central, Buford, North Central, Edisto and Eau Claire.
Burke has the largest enrollment of incumbent Class A schools at 453.
PROPOSED CLASSIFICATIONS
AAAAA
1. Dorman 2,929
2. Summerville 2,729
3. Carolina Forest 2,635
4. Byrnes 2,547
5. Spring Valley 2,336
6. Boiling Springs 2,197
7. West Ashley 2,177
8. Wando 2,147
9. Mauldin 2,143
10. Lexington 2,132
11. Stratford 2,087
12. Ashley Ridge 2,056
13. James Island 2,013
14. Wade Hampton 1,962
15. Cane Bay 1,961
16. River Bluff 1,958
17. West Florence 1,877
18. Fort Dorchester 1,871
19. Berkeley 1,830
20. Blythewood 1,829
21. Spartanburg 1,812
22. J L Mann 1,793
23. Sumter 1,764
24. Rock Hill 1,753
25. Socastee 1,752
26. Hillcrest 1,747
27. Stall 1,740
28. Eastside 1,717
29. Dutch Fork 1,708
30. South Florence 1,708
31. Fort Mill 1,681
32. Woodmont 1,675
33. Gray Collegiate 1,640
34. Ridge View 1,630
35. Chapin 1,628
36. White Knoll 1,610
37. Northwestern 1,571
38. Goose Creek 1,566
39. Indian Land 1,540
40. Lucy Beckham 1,458
AAAA
1. T L Hanna 1,561
2. Conway 1,557
3. Nation Ford 1,534
4. Wilson 1,517
5. Gaffney 1,505
6. St. James 1,464
7. Fountain Inn 1,449
8. Greenwood 1,442
9. Lugoff Elgin 1,419
10. May River 1,407
11. Riverside 1,396 1
12. Westwood 1,392
13. North Myrtle Beach 1,386
14. Catawba Ridge 1,377
15. North Augusta 1,374
16. Irmo 1,356
17. Easley 1,354
18. Greenville 1,345
19. Westside 1,338
20. South Aiken 1,297
21. Midland Valley 1,267
22. South Pointe 1,261
23. Fox Creek 1,256
24. Richland Northeast 1,254
25. Dreher 1,235
26. Bluffton 1,216
27. Myrtle Beach 1,198
28. Travelers Rest 1,192
29. York 1,192
30. Aiken 1,188
31. Legion Collegiate 1,171
32. Greer 1,145
33. Lake Wylie 1,132
34. Greenville Tech 1,113
35. A.C. Flora 1,100
36. Laurens 1,091
37. Clover 1,075
38. Lancaster 1,062
39. Brookland-Cayce 1,058
40. Beaufort 1,044
41. Hilton Head Island 983
42. Colleton County 981
AAA
1. Airport 1,042
2. Wren 1,030
3. Daniel 1,024
4. Greer Middle 1,022
5. Pickens 986
6. Lower Richland 982
7. Blue Ridge 974
8. Berea 966
9. Walhalla 960
10. Gilbert 955
11. Hartsville 945
12. Southside 933
13. Emerald 928
14. Brashier Middle 926
15. Crestwood 901
16. Camden 890
17. Hanahan 887
18. Aynor 881
19. Powdersville 877
20. Darlington 876
21. Legacy Early College 873
22. Bridges Prep 853
23. Atlantic Collegiate 846
24. North Charleston 842
25. Palmetto 839
26. GREEN Upstate 834
27. Seneca 831
28. Chapman 827
29. Oceanside Collegiate 805
30. Georgetown 797
31. Broome 794
32. Union County 791
33. Belton-Honea Path 781
34. Lakewood 779
35. Christ Church 777
36. Bishop England 763
37. Marlboro County 761
38. Pendleton 757
39. Swansea 745
40. Loris 738
AA
1. Charleston Charter M/S 759
2. Battery Creek 736
3. Woodruff 723
4. Orangeburg-Wilkinson 721
5. Carolina Academy 711
6. St. Joseph’s 709
7. Mountain View Prep 703
8. High Point 701
9. Waccamaw 698
10. Clinton 686
11. Landrum 672
12. American Leadership 671
13. Chesnee 666
14. Keenan 666
15. Horse Creek Academy 665
16. West-Oak 662
17. Southside Christian 660
18. Philip Simmons 654
19. Crescent 642
20. York Prep 609
21. Newberry 607
22. Pelion 604
23. Strom Thurmond 604
24. Woodland 600
25. Silver Bluff 597
26. Dillon 596
27. Andrew Jackson 588
28. Liberty 588
29. Academic Magnet 575
30. Columbia 572
31. Lake City 570
32. Manning 568
33. Timberland 564
34. Lake Marion 559
35. Saluda 548
36. Mid-Carolina 546
37. East Clarendon 532
38. Palmetto Scholars 525
39. Central 513
40. Chester 511
41. Blacksburg 492
CLASS A
1. Ninety Six 489
2. Hampton County 487
3. Fairfield Central 485
4. Kingstree 479
5. Barnwell 472
6. Buford 456
7. North Central 454
8. Batesburg-Leesville 453
9. Burke 453
10. Mullins 449
11. Edisto 439
12. Cheraw 437
13. Eau Claire 436
14. Marion 433
15. Riverwalk Academy 428
16. Chesterfield 410
17. Latta 401
18. Andrews 393
19. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 365
20. Virtus Academy 361
21. Abbeville 348
22. Whale Branch 343
23. Carvers Bay 342
24. Dixie 331
25. Hannah-Pamplico 330
26. Lee Central 328
27. Ridgeland 328
28. Johnsonville 325
29. Lewisville 323
30. Green Sea Floyds 305
31. Hardeeville 305
32. St John’s 303
33. CA Johnson 297
34. Calhoun County 296
35. Royal Live Oaks 282
36. McBee 262
37. Baptist Hill 261
38. Clear Dot Charter 249
39. Ridge Spring-Monetta 247
40. Thornwell 232
41. Coastal High 231
42. Wagener-Salley 220
43. Lake View 212
44. Lamar 211
45. Lowcountry Leadership 209
46. Polaris Tech 193
47. Ware Shoals 193
48. Whitmire 193
49. Military Magnet 185
50. Scott’s Branch 179
51. Allendale Fairfax 177
52. Williston-Elko 176
53. Bethune-Bowman 163
54. Great Falls 158
55. Branchville 154
56. Cross 145
57. Governor’s School 138
58. Denmark-Olar 136
59. Hemingway 123
60. McCormick 119
61. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 115
62. Blackville-Hilda 104
63. North 99
64. Midlands STEM 96
65. Calhoun Falls 94
66. SC School for Deaf and Blind 44
