ATLANTA — The Georgia High School Association released new classifications this week for the levels at which schools compete, eliminating the largest of those classes, 7A, and creating a new largest classification out of 6A.
The new classification levels will take effect for the two school years that will follow on the current one - 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Under the current structure, Class 7A features the largest schools and is the smallest of the levels with 46 schools. Under the next plan, those 46 schools will be reconstituted into a new 6A as the "highest" level with 19 schools "moving up" into the division, which will be the largest with 65 schools.
The 19 schools joining the old 7A/new 6A will be Arabia Mountain, Rockdale County, Douglas County, Etowah, Paulding County, Chapel Hill, South Cobb, North Atlanta, Alexander, Tift County, Newnan, New Manchester, Heritage (Conyers), Effingham County, North Forsyth, Shiloh, Houston County, Grovetown and Alpharetta.
Of those, two - Arabia Mountain and Heritage in Conyers - are "jumping" two levels from the current 5A. A non-football school, Innovation Academy, has also been reclassified "up" a level from the old 6A to the new 6A for other sports.
One school currently in 7A, Milton, will "drop" a level to the new 5A/old 6A under the new structure.
Schools have the ability to petition for a change to their assigned classification.