Record Participation Numbers Indicate Importance of High School Sports in Students’ Lives
This week’s release of the 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletic Participation Survey indicated that more than 200,000 additional students were involved in high school sports than the previous year, which continues a remarkable recovery from the pandemic. In the past three years, more than 645,000 additional participants have been a part of the education-based high school sports experience.
The survey, which has been compiled since 1971 by the NFHS through its 51-member state associations, indicated an all-time record of 8,266,244 participants – yes 8.2 million. And thanks to the almost 20,000 high schools in our member associations, opportunities for students to compete continue to climb as the survey recorded participation in 70 different sports, along with 15 Unified sports and 16 Adapted sports.
The sizeable increase in participation the past three years demonstrates the continued relevance of these programs throughout our nation. Although issues like transfers, club sports and NIL seem – at times – to dominate headlines, the real stories in high school sports rest with the 95 percent of student-athletes in these activities who enjoy competing and having fun with their teammates – and learn important lessons along the way that put them on the path to successful careers after school.
Highlights of this year’s survey are plentiful, with the sports of girls flag football, wrestling and volleyball leading the way. Expectations for a significant boost in girls flag football were confirmed with a 60 percent increase from the previous year. A total of 68,847 girls competed in flag football in 2024-25, with almost 1,000 additional schools offering the sport.
In addition, 16 states have sanctioned the sport, with two more scheduled to do so by 2027, and 22 additional states have independent/pilot programs. With this continued growth and with the availability of the NFHS Flag Football Rules Book, participation is certain to climb significantly in the years to come.
Boys wrestling and girls volleyball have been consistent top 10 sports throughout the survey’s history, and both reached all-time highs this past year; and perhaps due in part to the continued popularity of these sports, girls wrestling and boys volleyball are making waves in recent years and heading for their own top 10 positions.
In the past three years, the number of boys playing volleyball has jumped from 66,487 to 95,972 – and the sport now is No. 11 on the list of top sports. In addition, 25 state associations are now conducting state volleyball championships for boys.
The growth in girls wrestling is even more amazing. Ten years ago, 11,496 girls were involved in high school wrestling – many competing on boys teams. This past year, there were 74,064 participants in girls wrestling at 8,100 schools. Ten years ago, five states had separate girls wrestling championships; today 40 states offer girls wrestling championships!
Another success story in recent years has been the growth of Unified Sports, a Special Olympics program which supports teams composed of students with and without intellectual disabilities. This past year, a total of 70,006 students participated in the 15 Unified Sports, up from 51,502 the previous year.
Football remained the most popular sport for boys, with similar numbers in 11-player football from the previous year at 1,029,588. With the popularity of the sport enduring each and every year, it continues to be the signature event of communities on Friday nights in the fall.
While this report focuses on many numbers – 8.2 million to be exact – these are high school students who are using sports to help complete a well-rounded education and prepare for the next steps in their lives.
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