The North Carolina High School Athletic Association saw a 4.73 percent increase in overall participation during the 2023-2024 school from the previous year. Across all sports, 208,722 student athletes participated in NCHSAA sanctioned sports in 2023-24, up from 198,025 in 2022-23. This is based on information reported to the NCHSAA by its member schools.
That figure is the highest since the 2013-14 school year when 214,046 student-athletes were participating in high school sports in North Carolina. It is also the third-highest in the 100-plus year history of the association.
It is also the first time since the 2017-18 school year that the NCHSAA saw more than 200,000 student-athletes compete in sports.
Men’s and women’s indoor track saw significant increases in participation this year as 21 schools added women’s programs and 14 schools added men’s programs. Women’s golf participation increased 12 percent this year as 1,573 golfers were members of NCHSAA member school teams, up from 1,404 in 2022. In 2023, 282 schools fielded women’s golf teams compared to 270 in 2022.
The largest increase in reported participation was in winter spirit (cheerleading). There were 60 more reported teams in 2023-24 leading to an increase of 1,628 athletes.
Every sport except for baseball saw an increase in participation. During the spring of 2024, 10,574 student athletes played baseball, down 153 (1.4 percent) from the previous year. Meanwhile, men’s golf and men’s lacrosse saw increases of 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
There were 436 member schools in the NCHSAA for the 2023-24 school year, up from 432 in 2022-23, and 434 of those schools fielded a men’s basketball team; 432 fielded a volleyball team. There were 383 football playing schools in the association, with 29,075 student athletes participating on the gridiron last fall.
In women’s wrestling, the first year as a sanctioned sport, there were 248 schools that participated, with a total of 1,432 female athletes. The wrestling participation numbers from 2022-23 were not separated by gender; however, there were 9,988 total wrestlers in 2022-23, compared to 11,317 (men and women) in 2023-24.
Participation numbers by sport/schools with program for the past two years are listed below:
2023-24 SCHOOL YEARFALLFootball
Total Participants: 29,075 (+1,266)Schools with program: 383
Men’s Cross Country
Total Participants: 5,821(+510)Schools with program: 395Schools with program: 386
Men’s Soccer
Total Participants: 12,916 (+1,100)Schools with program: 407
Spirit (cheerleading)
Total Participants: 9,776 (+208)
Volleyball
Total Participants: 10,303 (+524)Schools with program: 432
Women’s Cross Country
Total Participants: 4,279 (+195)Schools with program: 382
Women’s Golf
Total Participants: 1,573 (+169)Schools with program: 282
Women’s Tennis
Total Participants: 4,318 (+312)Schools with program: 340
WINTERMen’s Basketball
Total Participants: 11,409 (+166)Schools with program: 434
Men’s Indoor Track
Total Participants: 7,331 (+833)Schools with program: 304
Men’s Swimming
Total Participants: 3,338 (+35)Schools with program: 305
Men’s Wrestling
Total Participants: 9,885
Schools with program: 342
Spirit (cheerleading)
Total Participants: 9,709 (+1,628)Schools with program: 414
Women’s Basketball
Total Participants: 7,663 (+193)Schools with program: 429
Women’s Indoor Track
Total Participants: 5,912 (+836)Schools with program: 306
Women’s Swimming
Total Participants: 4,487 (+182)Schools with program: 306
Women’s Wrestling
Total Participants: 1,432Schools with program: 248
SPRINGBaseball
Total Participants: 10,574 (-153)Schools with program: 414
Men’s Golf
Total Participants: 3,278 (+216)Schools with program: 371
Men’s Lacrosse
Total Participants: 4,219 (+243)Schools with program: 121
Men’s Tennis
Total Participants: 3,833 (+83)Schools with program: 319
Men’s Track
Total Participants: 15,932 (+21)Schools with program: 408
Softball
Total Participants: 7,017 (+105)Schools with program: 402
Women’s Lacrosse
Total Participants: 2,726 (+26)Schools with program: 101
Women’s Soccer
Total Participants: 10,507 (+343)Schools with program: 396
Women’s Track
Total participants: 11,409 (+343)
Schools with program: 409
2022-23 SCHOOL YEARFALLFootball
Total Participants: 27,809
Schools with program: 382
Men’s Cross Country
Total Participants: 5,311Schools with program: 385
Men’s Soccer
Total Participants: 11,816Schools with program: 402
Spirit (cheerleading)
Total Participants: 9,568Schools with program: 382
Volleyball
Total Participants: 9,779Schools with program: 427
Women’s Cross Country
Total Participants: 4,084Schools with program: 377
Women’s Golf
Total Participants: 1,404Schools with program: 270
Women’s Tennis
Total Participants: 4,006Schools with program: 337
WINTERMen’s Basketball
Total Participants: 11,243Schools with program: 431
Men’s Indoor Track
Total Participants: 6,498Schools with program: 290
Men’s Swimming
Total Participants: 3,303Schools with program: 300
Spirit (cheerleading)
Total Participants: 8,081Schools with program: 354
Women’s Basketball
Total Participants: 7,470Schools with program: 425
Women’s Indoor Track
Total Participants: 5,076Schools with program: 285
Women’s Swimming
Total Participants: 4,305Schools with program: 304
Wrestling
Total Participants: 9,988Schools with program: 346
SPRINGBaseball
Total Participants: 10,727Schools with program: 409
Men’s Golf
Total Participants: 3,062Schools with program: 371
Men’s Lacrosse
Total Participants: 3,976Schools with program: 118
Men’s Tennis
Total Participants: 3,750Schools with program: 314
Men’s Track
Total Participants: 15,911Schools with program: 408
Softball
Total Participants: 6,912Schools with program: 398
Women’s Lacrosse
Total Participants: 2,700Schools with program: 99
Women’s Soccer
Total Participants: 10,164Schools with program: 389
Women’s Track
Total participants: 11,082Schools with program: 409
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