High School Officiating Continues to Rebound, but the Work Is Not Done

The high school officiating shortage that reached a crisis point during the COVID-19 pandemic didn't disappear overnight. But today, there is real reason for optimism.

New NFHS data shows registrations of officials continue to climb nationwide, with many states and sports now surpassing pre-pandemic levels. That progress reflects the commitment of state associations, officials organizations, schools, athletic administrators, coaches and countless others who recognized the urgency of the challenge and took action.

The NFHS estimates that at least 50,000 officials left the profession during the 2020-21 school year, creating a shortage that affected nearly every sport. Hundreds of contests were postponed, rescheduled or canceled in the aftermath, reducing opportunities for student-athletes to compete alongside their classmates and represent their schools and communities.

Education-based athletics depends on dedicated men and women who are willing to serve as officials. When their numbers decline, everyone feels the impact.

Fortunately, the response has been both swift and collaborative.

Organizations including the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), the NCAA and many others have partnered with the NFHS to strengthen recruitment, improve training and emphasize retention.

Together, those efforts are making a difference.

Thirty-seven states have provided the NFHS with officiating registration data over the past eight years, and 26 of those states now report more registered officials than they had before the pandemic. For the 2025-26 school year, the 37 participating states reported an overall 9% increase in registrations compared with 2018-19 and a 2% increase over the previous year.

The growth extends across the sports landscape. Twelve sports now exceed their pre-pandemic registration levels, including a 32% increase in girls lacrosse officials, a 23% increase in track and field and cross country officials, and a 22% increase in wrestling officials.

All of the current numbers are encouraging, but they should not lead to complacency – more officials are still needed. 

Recruiting new officials will always be important, but retaining experienced officials may be even more critical. According to a 2023 NASO survey, the average age of a high school official is 56.7 years. In addition, 79% of the survey's more than 35,000 respondents reported taking on more assignments to help meet demand.

Those statistics remind us that today's officials continue to shoulder a tremendous responsibility. They deserve our respect, our appreciation and our support.

Every administrator, coach, student-athlete and parent has a role in creating an environment where officials are valued. Respectful behavior, sportsmanship and a shared commitment to education-based athletics all contribute to retaining current officials while encouraging new ones to join the profession.

To help illustrate the current landscape, the NFHS has published an interactive dashboard featuring national and state-by-state registration data, as well as sport-specific trends. Click here to explore the data for your state and the sports you follow.

The progress reflected in these numbers is something to celebrate. It demonstrates what can happen when organizations across the country work together toward a common goal.

But our work is not finished.

More officials are still needed to meet the growing demand for education-based athletics. The NFHS remains committed to supporting officials, partnering with organizations across the country and ensuring that every student-athlete has the opportunity to experience the lifelong benefits of high school sports.