GHSA to hear 52 appeals to play down in new classifications

The Georgia High School Association will hear 52 appeals Monday from schools seeking to move down from their assigned 2026-27 classifications.

Twelve schools, including Marist and Benedictine as expected, have requested to move up in class.

The appeals will begin at 9:45 a.m. Monday.

Fourteen schools want out of the highest class, which will be known as Class 7A beginning next year, as the GHSA has renamed its seven classes. Class 6A will become 7A, and Class A divisions I and II will become 2A and A.

Among those requesting 6A instead of 7A are Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Meadowcreek and South Gwinnett in Gwinnett County. Those schools have fielded good individual teams but generally not performed well in sports overall while in the highest class.

It’s not known yet if competitiveness is the reason for their appeals, however, although the GHSA has signaled a greater openness to those types of appeals this year than in the past.

Common reasons for appeals are travel considerations and disputed enrollment data used to classify. That could be the case for two state football powers.

Thomas County Central, which has the AJC’s No. 2 football team in Class 5A, currently the second-highest class, wants to be in the new Class 5A, which will be the third-highest class next year.

Creekside, the current No. 1 football team in Class 4A, also wants to be in Class 5A instead of 6A, where it was assigned.

Schools also requests to play up, and those are almost always granted.

Marist and Benedictine were among five schools currently in Class 4A that had enrollment allowing them to move down and join what will be known as the Class 4A-2A Private state-playoff division.

But both petitioned for Class 5A, as they have done in the past, because they prefer going against stronger competition with the opportunity to play with public schools in the state playoffs. Both have top-10 football teams.

The other three - Westminster, Pace Academy and Eagle’s Landing Christian - struggled this season in football and appear ready to join the smaller privates in 4A-2A private next academic year.

That’s significant because Westminster has won 37 state titles this decade. Pace has won 21. Now, they will be competing against only private schools for the next two academic years, joining fellow metro Atlanta schools Lovett, Greater Atlanta Christian, Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan, among others.

Pace Academy did petition to move up, but only to Class 4A. Private schools in 4A, 3A and 2A will compete against public schools in the regular season and private schools in the playoffs.

Appealing to move down from:

Class 7A - Arabia Mountain, Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Douglas County, Kennesaw Mountain, Lakeside-Atlanta, Lakeside-Evans, Meadowcreek, Northgate, Osborne, Paulding County, Rockdale County, South Gwinnett

Class 6A - Alcovy, Creekside, Drew, Johns Creek, Northside-Columbus, Thomas County Central

Class 5A - Cedartown, Central-Macon, Douglass, Flowery Branch, Groves, Jenkins, Johnson-Gainesville, LaGrange, Lithonia, Richmond Academy, Whitewater

Class 4A - Cross Creek, Howard, Johnson-Savannah, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, Northwest Whitfield, Southeast Whitfield, Westside-Macon

Class 3A - Gordon Central, Islands, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Mount Vernon, North Cobb Christian, Savannah Christian, Washington County

Class 2A - Armuchee, Bryan County, Lanier County, Metter, Putnam County, Screven County, Twiggs County

Requesting to move up to:

Class 6A – Cedar Shoals, Walnut Grove