They shoot, they score: High school sports participation at all-time high

Greater than 8 million high schoolers are taking part in school-sponsored sports, an all-time high, according to the National Federation of State Secondary School Associations, an advocacy not-for-profit for secondary school sports, as well as for penalty and performing arts programs.

According to NFHS, 12 states have actually sanctioned girls flag football. States that have accepted the sporting activity for ladies consist of NFHS member associations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Tennessee. Another 19 states are piloting similar programs.

“Flag is a sporting activity of inclusivity,” Niehoff said in an Aug. 19 declaration. “It can be played in any type of period (climate reliant), is hectic and provides a possibility for youngsters to play and others to instructor or officiate in the exciting sport of football.”

“The resurgence from the pause of institution sporting activities throughout the pandemic has been so satisfying and definitely suggests the remaining power of education-based sports in our country’s institutions,” claimed Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS, in an Aug. 20 statement.

Among the motorists of raised sporting activities participation is the growing popularity of ladies flag football, with involvement greater than folding the previous 2 academic year. Because of the expansion of flag football programs, the Indiana-based NFHS revealed last month it was creating national having fun policies for the sport for both ladies’ and boys’ teams. Those rules are expected to be implemented during the 2025-26 school year.

The NFHS Secondary School Athletics Involvement Survey found that sports involvement expanded by 210,469 between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic year. The previous involvement document was 7,980,886 and embeded in 2017-18. Participation began decreasing in the 2018-19 academic year and proceeded falling during the very early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when numerous colleges restricted in-person classes and tasks.

The top three high school sporting activities for women, based upon engagement levels, are outdoor track and field, volley ball and soccer. The leading 3 boys sports are 11-player football, exterior track and area, and basketball.