2024
PARTICIPATION IN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TOPS EIGHT MILLION FOR FIRST TIME IN 2023-24
| nfh news
More than eight million participants competed in high school sports in the 2023‑24 school year – an all‑time record and the first time ever that total participation has exceeded the eight‑million mark. The NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey indicated that 8,062,302 participants were involved in high school sports in 2023‑24, which is up 210,469 from the previous year and tops the previous record of 7,980,886 set in 2017‑18. The total includes 4,638,785 boys and 3,423,517 girls – both record highs – according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia. The 2023‑24 total marked the second consecutive increase after numbers tumbled during the pandemic. Since the initial survey after the pandemic, participation in high school sports has increased 444,248 in two years and represents a turnaround from the decline that started the year before the COVID‑19 pandemic. “We are thrilled to learn that participation in high school sports has exceeded eight million for the first time,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “The comeback from the pause of school sports during the pandemic has been so gratifying and certainly indicates the staying power of education‑based sports in our nation’s schools. We salute coaches, athletic directors and other school administrators for making these experiences happen for student‑athletes.” Two of the biggest storylines are the increases in all forms of high school football – boys and girls – and the continued rise in both girls and boys wrestling. Eleven‑player football remained the most popular boys sport and registered an increase for the second consecutive year from 1,028,761 to 1,031,508. There also was an increase in 8‑player football participation from 23,812 to 26,420. The biggest gains in football, however, came on the girls side, particularly with the emerging sport of flag football. The number of participants in girls flag football more than doubled from 2022‑23 to 2023‑24. A total of 42,955 girls participated in flag football in 2023‑24 compared to 20,875 the previous year – a 105 percent increase. And from the 15,716 participants in 2021‑22, there has been an increase of 173 percent. There also was an increase in the number of girls competing on 11‑player football teams from 3,654 to 4,094.
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