The GHSA’s executive committee voted 56-15 to increase the out-of-zone enrollment multiplier to 3.0 from the current 2.0 on Monday, a move that could send private schools St. Pius and Woodward Academy and city schools Valdosta and Carrollton into the highest classification starting in 2022.
The impact won’t be known until fall enrollment numbers and out-of-zone statistics are received by the GHSA, probably later this month.
Using one example, St. Pius reported 1,101 students in 2019 with 1,090 living outside its designated attendance zone. With those 1,090 counting three times, St. Pius’ enrollment for classification purposes would be 3,281. The smallest current Class 7A school in 2019 was Tift County at 2,200.
GHSF Daily projected last month that a 3.0 multiplier could move St. Pius, Woodward, Valdosta and Carrollton into the highest class if the most recently known enrollment numbers and statistics held steady. The projections also put Cartersville, Rome, Blessed Trinity, Greater Atlanta Christian and Marist in 6A. That data also put Blessed Trinity as the 52nd largest school. Camden County comes in at 54th. Class 7A currently has 45 schools.
The multiplier is designed to mitigate what many believe are unfair competitive advantages held by schools that get disproportionate numbers of students from outside their designated attendance zones – in particular, private and city schools.
Appeals to class assignment are a certainty. During the 2019 reclassification, the GHSA approved 17 of 24 appeals, including those of St. Pius, Dacula, Richmond Hill, Rome and GAC. It’s uncertain how friendly the appeals committee will be in 2021.
The GHSA won’t apply the multiplier to Class A schools, which in the last reclassification were those with 550 students or fewer.
Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.
