High School

High School Sports Participation Hits All-Time High in 2024-25, Fueled by Growth in Girls Programs

NFHS survey shows nearly 8.3 million athletes competed last year, with girls flag football and wrestling leading the surge

Gary Adornato

A 60% increase in the number of athletes playing girls flag football has fueled a huge growth in participation in girls sports and in all high school sports, according to the NFHS.
A 60% increase in the number of athletes playing girls flag football has fueled a huge growth in participation in girls sports and in all high school sports, according to the NFHS. / Maxwell Donaldson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

High school sports participation has reached unprecedented levels in the United States. According to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 8,260,891 students competed in athletics during the 2024-25 school year — the highest total in history.

The figure marks an increase of 198,589 participants from the previous year, topping the previous record of 8,062,302 set in 2023-24. Both boys (4,723,907) and girls (3,536,984) posted record highs, based on data from all 51 NFHS member state associations, including the District of Columbia.

The 2024-25 total also represents the third straight year of strong growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, participation has increased by 642,837 students in three years, reversing declines that began just before the shutdowns.

“It is wonderful to see the interest in high school sports reach new heights,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “The immense value of high school sports is reflected in these impressive numbers. As high school students have consistently demonstrated their desire to play with their peers and represent their schools and community, state and school administrators have stepped up to offer more participation opportunities to meet that demand.”

Girls Sports Lead the Growth

The sharpest gains were seen on the girls side, where flag football and wrestling posted record numbers.

  • Girls Flag Football: Participation surged to 68,847 athletes, a 60 percent increase from the prior year. Nearly 1,000 additional schools added programs, reflecting the sport’s rapid nationwide expansion.
  • Girls Wrestling: Participation jumped to 74,000 for the first time ever, up 15 percent from last year. Nearly 1,000 more schools now sponsor girls wrestling.

Boys wrestling also enjoyed a rebound, gaining 8,340 athletes to surpass 300,000 participants for the first time.

Unified Sports and Esports on the Rise

Emerging programs also experienced steady growth. Unified Sports saw a jump from 51,502 participants in 2023-24 to 70,006 athletes last year, while Esports climbed to 30,440 students, an increase of nearly 3,000.

Most Popular Sports for Girls

Traditional team sports remain strong for girls, with several showing additional gains:

  1. Outdoor Track & Field – 513,808
  2. Volleyball – 492,799 (up 2.85%)
  3. Soccer – 393,048 (up 2.38%)
  4. Basketball – 356,240
  5. Softball – 331,306
  6. Competitive Spirit – 206,262 (up nearly 14%)
  7. Tennis – 204,721 (up 4%)
  8. Cross Country – 189,260
  9. Swimming & Diving – 138,303
  10. Lacrosse – 99,292

Most Popular Sports for Boys

The top 10 boys sports remained stable while still recording gains:

  1. 11-Player Football – 1,031,039
  2. Outdoor Track & Field – 644,235
  3. Basketball – 540,704
  4. Soccer – 484,908
  5. Baseball – 472,598
  6. Wrestling – 300,214
  7. Cross Country – 238,685
  8. Golf – 162,357
  9. Tennis – 158,667
  10. Swimming & Diving – 119,102

State Leaders in Participation

Texas (879,403) and California (852,575) once again led the nation in total participation. Rounding out the top 10 were:

  1. Ohio – 335,808
  2. Pennsylvania – 333,123
  3. Illinois – 328,362
  4. New York – 327,068
  5. Florida – 308,396
  6. Michigan – 298,246
  7. Florida – 308,396
  8. New Jersey – 281,971
  9. Minnesota – 232,347

A Post-Pandemic Surge

The NFHS report underscores how strongly high school athletics have rebounded from the pandemic-era decline. With record-setting participation across both boys and girls sports, plus growth in emerging programs like flag football, wrestling, Unified Sports, and Esports, opportunities for student-athletes have never been greater.

Would you like me to also add graphics/charts suggestions (like a bar chart of girls flag football growth or a state-by-state map of participation) so this article can run with strong visuals?

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Gary Adornato
GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato is the Senior VP of Content for High School On SI and SBLive Sports. He began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University. In 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.

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