As Granville County Schools prepares to consolidate middle and high schools next year, coaches and athletic directors will be required to reapply for their positions.

The school distrcit will go from six middle and high schools down to four in the 2025-2026 school year, which includes closing Granville Central High School. The decision was made last fall.

South Granville High School and J.F. Webb High School will be the only two high schools in Granville County, and the students currently attending Granville Central will be split between the two remaining schools.

Butner-Stem Middle School and G.C. Hawley Middle School are consolidating into one middle school, which will take over the Granville Central campus.

The decision to consolidate schools came after multiple years of declining enrollment. As a result, district officials will have more coaches and athletic directors on staff than they will have positions available.

“This approach allows every current coach an equal opportunity to apply for their role while ensuring that our students receive the highest level of leadership and expertise in the 2025-2026 school year,” Superintendent Dr. Stan Winborne said in a written statement. “Our priority remains providing students with the best possible educational and athletic experiences as we transition into this new chapter.”

The decision to require coaches to reapply for jobs was made after the district’s executive team, district athletic director, and middle and high school principals met to determine how to reassign coaches.

Athletic directors and head coaches were notified of the decision in an email on Wednesday.

According to the email, the district hopes to have all athletic director and head coach jobs posted on its website by Mar. 12. The district wants to make athletic director recommendations to the Board of Education in April, then all head coaching recommendations in May.

“We know that spring and summer workouts are, in some cases, already underway. Therefore, we would like to complete this process as soon as possible,” the email said.

J.F. Webb and South Granville will be 5A high schools beginning this fall. They will be in a 4A/5A split conference with Carrboro, Cedar Ridge, Durham School of the Arts, Orange, and Seaforth.