GHSA places state’s high schools in 6 classifications

After a one-week delay, the Georgia High School Association divided its 440 member schools into the new six-classification structure that will go into effect next year.

Sixty five schools, mostly from the metro area, will make up the GHSA’s first-ever Class AAAAAA group. The rest of the breakdown is 71 schools for AAAAA, 71 for AAAA, 70 for AAA, 66 for AA, and 97 (including 71 that play football) for A.

“The toughest part is yet to come, and that’s putting the schools into regions,” said Ralph Swearngin, the GHSA’s executive director. “Breaking down the numbers for the classifications was fairly easy.

“The [Reclassification Committee] did eyeball some situations. Whenever we divide classifications, we want to draw the lines where there is a little bit of a natural break between the FTE numbers. If you have an 8-10 student difference between placing a school in one classification or another, that’s better than dividing a line where there is only a difference of one student. But sometimes you have to do that.”

What’s next? Schools will have until Dec. 5 to decide whether or not to play up in a higher classification. The schools will be placed in regions on Dec. 6. After the appeals process, the new regions are expected to be finalized on Jan. 10.

The breakdown of schools, which was scheduled to be released last week, was approved on Monday after the GHSA’s Executive Committee rescinded a policy that allowed schools to drop certain special-needs students from their FTE or overall student enrollment.

“I think we’ll continue to look at that policy for a couple of years, but for right now it will not be a part of what we do with this reclassification,” Swearngin said.

Some metro schools had a mixed reaction to Monday’s division. For example, Morrow High School is the smallest school (1,431 students) in Class AAAAAA, which is led by Mill Creek with 2,766 students.  Morrow narrowly missed being placed in the next lowest class, AAAAA, which has its largest school as Allatoona with 1,426 students.

“We were 0-10 in football this past year in Class AAAA and now they’re going to have us skip all the way up to Class AAAAAA? For what purpose?” Morrow football coach J. Livingston said. “We’ll have to deal with it, though. We won’t back down from the competition, and we’ll do whatever we need to do to succeed.”

Marist, which was placed in Class AA with 591 students, has yet to decide whether it will appeal to play in a high classification. Rivals St. Pius, Woodward and Blessed Trinity are in Class AAA, while Tucker and Dunwoody are in Class AAAAA.

“Traditionally we do play up,” Marist athletics director Tommy Marshall said. “We’ll have a meeting with the coaches, and everybody will have a different opinion I’m sure. Then we’ll meet with the administration. I’m not sure what our plans will be right now.”

Here are the new classifications: 

http://www.ghsa.net/files/documents/reclassification/2012-Reclassification-Worksheet.pdf

Note: All student enrollment numbers are from grades 9-11

CLASS AAAAAA
Mill Creek 2766
Norcross 2709
Brookwood 2560
Collins Hill 2539
Berkmar 2512
Peachtree Ridge 2435
Meadowcreek 2357
Lowndes 2346
East Coweta 2143
Camden County 2127
Parkview 2125
Central Gwinnett 2105
North Cobb 2061
Milton 2058
Duluth 2006
South Gwinnett 1994
Walton 1987
Grayson 1978
Roswell 1970
North Gwinnett 1902
Newnan 1845
Alpharetta 1805
Campbell 1800
Etowah 1783
Lambert 1775 (projected)
Colquitt County 1749
Cherokee 1741
Marietta 1680
North Forsyth 1679 (projected)
Shiloh 1670
Bethany Bend (Fulton) 1663 (projected)
McEachern 1658
Tift County 1649
South Forsyth 1646 (projected)
Archer 1631
Alcovy 1609
Wheeler 1605
Coffee 1602
West Forsyth 1598 (projected)
Hillgrove 1596
Pebblebrook 1588
Mountain View 1581
Luella 1560
Lovejoy 1552
South Cobb 1549
Newton 1526
Lassiter 1524
Langston Hughes 1515
Kennesaw Mountain 1513
Brunswick 1509
Douglas County 1502 (projected)
Harrison 1491
Chattahoochee 1487
Woodstock 1483
Westlake 1482
Centennial 1480
Dacula 1473
Valdosta 1468
Druid Hills 1450
Habersham Central 1450
Effingham County 1447
Johns Creek 1443
Rockdale County 1441
Tri-Cities 1439
Morrow 1431

CLASS AAAAA
Allatoona 1426
North Paulding 1426
Lakeside, Dekalb 1425
Hardaway 1418
Sprayberry 1413
Forsyth Central 1401 (projected)
Winder-Barrow 1400
Evans 1393
Northgate 1384
Creekview 1380
Lee County 1380
Glynn Academy 1366
Bradwell Institute 1365
South Paulding 1365
Woodland (Cartersville) 1357
Northview 1352
Mundy’s Mill 1351
Forest Park 1341
Houston County 1341
Flowery Branch 1332
Northside, WR 1330
Lakeside, Evans 1320
Greenbrier 1307
Richmond Hill 1306
East Paulding 1303
Hiram 1302
Apalachee 1300
Osborne 1300
Warner Robins 1296
Mt. Zion, Jonesboro 1295
Arabia Mountain 1295
Drew 1290
Pope 1290
Riverwood 1290
Kell 1279
Tucker 1277
McIntosh 1273
North Springs 1267
Paulding County 1248
Heritage, Conyers 1244
Gainesville 1243
Union Grove 1236
Ola 1234
Miller Grove 1232
New Manchester 1232 (projected)
Groves 1224
Sequoyah 1223
Ware County 1214
Northside, Columbus 1204
Cedar Shoals 1199
M.L. King 1194
Jones County 1194
Villa Rica 1187
Salem 1187
Brainbridge 1178
Rome 1168
Starrs Mill 1161
Harris County 1160
Lithia Springs 1154 (projected)
Creekside 1153
Mays 1152
Stephenson 1148
North Atlanta 1148
Loganville 1147
Clarkston 1135
Whitewater 1131
Southwest Dekalb 1129
Clarke Central 1128
Grovetown 1128
Thomas County Central 1128
Dunwoody 1124

CLASS AAAA
Wayne County 1110
South Effingham 1107
LaGrange 1100
River Ridge 1096
Cass 1094
Grady 1094
Statesboro 1091
Windsor Forest 1091
Griffin 1090
Jonesboro 1089
Woodland, Henry 1088
Madison County 1085
Stockbridge 1078
Baldwin 1068
Eastside 1066
Troup County 1065
Alexander 1063 (projected)
Southeast Whitfield 1058 (projected)
Heritage, Catoosa 1047
Carver, Atlanta 1045
Fayette County 1043
Ridgeland 1043
Chamblee 1037
Dutchtown 1034
Lanier 1031
Upson-Lee 1026
Columbia 1024
Richmond Academy 1021
Columbus 1020
Americus-Sumter 1013
Gilmer 1012
Cross Creek 1012
Veterans 1003
Carrollton 1000
Lithonia 996
Spalding 995
Riverdale 993
Jenkins 991
Westside, Macon 989
Monroe 987
Northwest Whitfield 984 (projected)
Johnson, Gainesville 982
Pickens 978
Banneker 976
Dalton 975 (projected)
Burke County 961
Redan 960
Walnut Grove 956
Eagle’s Landing 952
Locust Grove 942
Therrell 941
Howard 939
Chestatee 932
Mary Persons 930
Sandy Creek 928
West Laurens 927
Liberty County 923
Rutland 917
Perry 916
Shaw 908
Cairo 906
LaFayette 905
Stephens County 895
Crisp County 887
South Atlanta 885
Stone Mountain 883
Cedartown 883
Westover 881
Lumpkin County 881
Monroe Area 880
Hephzibah 862

CLASS AAA
Central, Carroll 854
Cartersville 851
Peach County 848
St. Pius X 845
Beach 842
Johnson, Savannah 841
Washington, Atlanta 837
White County 836
North Hall 834
Pike County 833
West Hall 832
Douglass 832
Central, Macon 831
Thomson 828
Franklin county 823
Cross Keys 819
North Oconee 815
Towers 814
Sonoraville 806
Chapel Hill 805 (projected)
Coahulla Creek 805 (projected)
North Murray 804
Dawson County 802
[New Chatham County] 800 (projected)
Oconee County 798
Southwest, Macon 794
Jackson 793
Woodward Academy 789
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 783
East Hall 783
Haralson County 783
Ringgold 776
Buford 776
Morgan County 774
Henry County 770
Hart County 762
East Jackson 760
Appling County 759
Glenn Hills 756
Adairsville 754
Brantley County 751
Dougherty 749
Dodge County 747
Blessed Trinity 741
Carver, Columbus 740
Worth County 740
Pierce County 734
Cook 733
Tattnall County 725
Jackson County 724
Southeast Bulloch 720
Butler 711
Cedar Grove 703
Albany 702
Best Academy 700 (projected)
(single gender)
Fannin County 699
Elbert County 695
North Clayton 691
Washington County 686
Rockmart 674
Jackson, Atlanta 673
Callaway 672
McNair 668
Swainsboro 667
Banks County 665
Gordon Central 664
Decatur 664
Savannah 663
Jefferson County 660
Islands 651

CLASS AA
Pepperell 647
Kendrick 647
Westside, Augusta 646
Calhoun 645
Jordan 635
Berrien 634
Murray County 625
Jefferson 619
Josey 613
Westminster 611
Toombs County 610
Fitzgerald 607
Spencer 600
Marist 591
Jeff Davis 581
Greater Atlanta Christian 578 Lovett 452
Chattooga 578
Thomasville 578
Harlem 571
Union County 571
Northeast, Macon 569
Putnam County 563
Coosa 562
Savannah Arts Academy 560
Oglethorpe County 560
Lamar County 559
Morris Innovative 559 (projected)
Screven County 545
Laney 544
Dade County 540
Hapeville Charter 535
Vidalia 535
Model 533
Long County 522
Bleckley County 518
Dublin 515
Rabun County 514
Temple 501
Correta Scott King Acad. 500 (projected)
(single gender)
Armuchee 499
Early County 488
Benedictine Military 480 (single gender)
East Laurens 469
Monticello 457
Macon County 452
Bremen 452
Brooks County 446
Greene County 441
Heard County 435
Metter 428
Crawford County 414
Riverside Military Acad. 412 (single gender)
Manchester 412
St. Vincent’s Acad. 406 (single gender)
Bacon County 406
Social Circle 396
Bryan County 377
McIntosh County Acad. 376
Chattahoochee County 365
Washington-Wilkes 360
Bowdon 358
Taylor County 358
Atkinson County 355
Pelham 355
Wesleyan 350

CLASS A
Gordon Lee 348
Irwin County 346
Holy Innocents’ 344
Telfair County 344
Darlington 339
Wilkinson County 339
Seminole County 323
Savannah Christian 318
Paideia 318
Pace Academy 317
Mitchell County 317
Lanier County 316
Charlton County 314
Trion 309
Jenkins County 304
Hawkinsville 304
Claxton 302
Johnson, Augusta 301
Davidson Magnet 298
Terrell County 297
Wilcox County 296
Mt. Zion, Carroll 295
Marion County 293
Turner County 291
Commerce 291
Schley County 290
Mt. Paran Christian 288
Walker School 286
Hancock Central 283
Lincoln County 280
Elite Scholars (Clayton) 280 (projected)
Greenville 273
Dooly County 269
Clinch County 267
Eagles Landing Christian 266
Towns County 266
Johnson County 260
Emanuel County Inst. 250
Randolph Clay 248
Georgia Military Prep 246
Providence Christian 244
George Walton Acad. 238
First Presbyterian Day 238
Hebron Christian Acad. 237
Calvary Day 234
Twiggs County 234
Miller County 233
Treutlen 232
Brookstone 228
Atlanta International 225
Montgomery County 221
Athens Academy 220
Wheeler County 210
St. Francis 201
Dekalb School of the Arts 201
Mt. Pisgah Christian 200
KIPP Atlanta 200 (projected)
Galloway School 197
Portal 196
North Cobb Christian 192
Savannah Country Day 191
Athens Christian 186
Tech Charter 184
Aquinas 183
Rabun Gap – Nacoochee 182
Pinecrest Academy 181
Landmark Christian 174
Whitefield Academy 173
Prince Ave. Christian 171
Fellowship Christian 168
Strong Rock Christian 163
Lakeview Academy 156
Echols County 155
Tallulah Falls School 153
Pacelli 150
Warren County 145
Baconton Charter 141
Glascock County 131
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 129
Central, Talbotton 125
Calhoun County 123
Stewart County 115
Christian Heritage (Dalton) 113
Webster County 93
Yeshiva 85
Quitman County 79
Excel Christian Academy 78
Baker County 63
Ben Franklin Academy 58
W. D. Mohammed 52
Challenge Charter 52
Southwest Atlanta Chr. Acad. 44
Taliaferro County 44
Georgia Acad. for the Blind 40
Greenforest Christian Acad. 39
Georgia School for the Deaf 35
Woody Gap 22