The N.C. High School Athletic Association is set to realign its member schools into new classifications and new conferences for the 2025 school year.

This upcoming realignment will be one of the most influential in the history of the association.

As a result of a successful bylaw vote by the NCHSAA board to limit classifications to 64 schools, the number of classes will double from four to eight starting in 2025. That vote happened in November. In April, the board adopted the “Big 32” realignment model that will put the largest 32 schools in 8A and evenly divide the rest of the schools into the 1A through 7A classes.

This time around, NCHSAA schools will be divided into classifications using their average daily membership numbers only. For the 2021-2025 realignment, the NCHSAA ushered in a formula that combined factors like the Wells Fargo Cup standings and student economic data. The formula boosted some non-traditional public schools into higher classifications than they would have been by using ADMs only. According to our research, the share of state championships won by non-traditional public schools decreased since the 2021 realignment.

The ADM numbers that will be used to divide up the eight classifications will be from the upcoming 2024-25 school year.

We made a series of conference projections for the upcoming realignment using the 2023-24 attendance numbers. You can see those at the link below, but keep in mind that there will be many differences in the ADMs that come out this fall.

To accomplish the feat of realignment, the association enlists a committee of representatives from across the state to put together the most equitable conference groupings possible. The representatives are a mixture of principals, athletic directors, district athletic directors, and superintendents.

The NCHSAA has released the names of the committee members that will design the 2025-29 realignment to its website. We have those members below.

2025-29 Realignment Committee

Region 1

• Mickey Drew – Principal, Perquimans High; 1A
• Chad Williams – Athletic Director, First Flight High; 3A

Region 2

• Steve Clark – Principal, Richlands High; 3A
• Tim Bennett – System AD, Craven County

Region 3

• David Hackney – System Athletic Director, Durham Public Schools; 2A/3A/4A
• Travis Seese – Athletic Director, Athens Drive High; 4A

Region 4

• Chad Hill – Athletic Director, Union Pines High; 3A
• Ryan Stone – Athletic Director, Grays Creek High; 4A

Region 5

• Brad Fisher – Athletic Director, RJ Reynolds High; 4A
• Leigh Hebbard – System Athletic Director, Guilford County Schools; 2A/3A/4A

Region 6

• Brad Hinson – Athletic Director, Cox Mill High; 4A
• Craig Smith – Executive Director, Community School of Davidson; 2A

Region 7

• William Bell – Athletic Director, Forbush High; 2A
• Casey Rogers – System Athletic Director, Burke County Schools; 2A

Region 8

• Frank Maennle – Athletic Director, Andrews High; 1A
• Trevor Putnam – Superintendent, Haywood County Schools; 3A

At-Large

• Erica Turner – System Athletic Director, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Co-Chairs

• Stephen Fisher – Superintendent, Cleveland County Schools
• Tod Morgan – Principal, C.B. Aycock High

Affiliate Members

• Joe Franks – NC Coaches Association
• Roy Turner – NC Athletic Directors Association

Source: highschoolot.com