VHSL Denies Realignment Appeals for Patrick Henry, Grayson County

Patrick Henry will move to Virginia's Class 6 and Grayson County to Class 2 under the proposed 2027-31 alignment plan after both schools sought to remain in their current classifications.

The Patrick Henry athletic program lost its appeal with the VHSL and will make the move to Virginia's Class 6 in the 2027-31 alignment cycle. | Patrick Henry Football

Two Virginia high school athletic programs seeking to avoid classification changes beginning in 2027 have lost their initial appeals.

The Virginia High School League's Alignment Appeals Committee denied requests from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke and Grayson County to remain in their current classifications, according to a report from WDBJ7.

Patrick Henry had appealed the VHSL's proposed move from Class 5 to Class 6, while Grayson County sought to remain in Class 1 rather than move to Class 2.

The changes are part of the VHSL's realignment process for the four-year cycle beginning with the 2027-28 school year.

Patrick Henry's appeal was denied by a 5-0 vote. According to WDBJ7, the committee determined the school did not meet the guideline criteria necessary to remain in a lower classification.

Roanoke City Public Schools had argued that moving Patrick Henry to Class 6 would create significant travel issues for its athletic programs. The school system said some potential trips to Class 6 opponents could take three to five hours each way, resulting in additional transportation costs and missed instructional time for student-athletes.

Patrick Henry faced a similar situation during the previous VHSL realignment cycle. The school successfully appealed a proposed move to Class 6 in 2022 and was allowed to remain in Class 5.

This time, however, the initial appeal was unsuccessful.

Grayson County's request to remain in Class 1, Region C also was denied. The committee voted 4-1 against the appeal, with the VHSL citing the potential hardship on smaller schools if Grayson County were permitted to remain in Class 1.

Grayson County's placement was particularly close to the classification cutoff. The school's average daily membership figure used by the VHSL was 343.51, according to published reports, while the proposed Class 1 cutoff was 343 students.

Other Virginia Schools Receive Realignment Decisions

Not every school that challenged its proposed placement was denied.

Liberty Christian Academy won its appeal to remain in Class 3, Region C rather than move to Class 2, Region C. The committee approved that request by a 4-1 vote.

Liberty High School in Bedford also prevailed in its request to move from the Seminole District to the Dogwood District. The VHSL determined that Liberty's status as the only Class 2 school in the Seminole District created a hardship.

Among other decisions reported by WDBJ7, Alleghany was denied its request to move to Class 2 and will remain in Class 3. James River was denied its request to move to Class 1 and is slated for Class 2, while Nelson County also was denied a requested move to Class 1.

Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy was successful in its appeal and is set to compete in Class 1, Region C and the Pioneer District.

The process is not necessarily over for schools whose requests were rejected.

Schools may appeal the Alignment Appeals Committee's ruling to the VHSL Executive Committee by Sept. 8. The Executive Committee is scheduled to determine the final 2027-31 alignment plan on Sept. 23.