Participation in high school sports climbs to an all-time high
Each year since 1971, the National Federation of State High School Associations has conducted a high school athletics participation survey. On Monday, with practices and competitions underway locally in fall sports, NFHS announced that high school athletics participation in the U.S. has reached an all-time high.
The 2024-25 total — 8,260,891 — marks the third consecutive notable increase after numbers fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participation in high school sports has increased 642,837 over the past three years and represents a turnaround from a decline that started the year before the pandemic.
“It is wonderful to see the interest in high school sports reach new heights,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “The immense value of high school sports is reflected in these impressive numbers. As high school students have consistently demonstrated their desire to play with their peers and represent their schools and community, state and school administrators have stepped up to offer more participation opportunities to meet that demand.”
Based on data from all 51 NFHS member state associations, including the District of Columbia, both boys and girls posted record highs. Boys climbed to 4,723,907 and girls to 3,536,984,
The biggest gains in 2024-25 were mainly in girls sports, where flag football and wrestling posted record numbers.
Here are some figures of note:
— Participation in girls flag football surged to 68,847 athletes, a 60% increase from the prior year. Nearly 1,000 additional schools added programs, reflecting the sport’s rapid nationwide expansion.
— Participation in girls wrestling jumped to 74,000, up 15% from last year. Nearly 1,000 more schools now sponsor girls wrestling.
— Boys wrestling also saw a rebound, gaining 8,340 athletes to surpass 300,000 participants for the first time.
Overall, the most popular sports for girls are:
— Outdoor track and field, 513,808;
— Volleyball, 492,799 (up 2.85%);
— Soccer, 393,048 (up 2.38%);
— Basketball, 356,240;
— Softball, 331,306;
— Competitive spirit, 206,262 (up nearly 14%);
— Tennis, 204,721 (up 4%);
— Cross country, 189,260;
— Swimming and diving, 138,303; and
— Lacrosse, 99,292.
The most popular sports for boys are:
— 11-Player football, 1,031,039;
— Outdoor track and field, 644,235;
— Basketball, 540,704;
— Soccer, 484,908;
— Baseball, 472,598;
— Wrestling, 300,214;
— Cross country, 238,685;
— Golf, 162,357;
— Tennis, 158,667; and
— Swimming and diving, 119,102.
Texas, at 879,403, led the nation in total participation. Michigan, the nation’s 10th-largest by population, ranked sixth at 298,246.
The complete 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey will be available soon on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.