Participation Survey Indicates Continued Importance of Education-based Sports, Activities

 The results of last week’s annual NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey demonstrated that being a part of an education-based school team remains the focus for millions of high school student-athletes.

The survey, which has been compiled since 1971 by the NFHS through its 51-member state associations, indicated yet another all-time record of 8,415,684 participants. Since the return to action from the pandemic in 2021, the survey numbers have increased almost 800,000 in five years. Truly, students in our nation’s schools continue to treasure their involvement in these programs that not only are fun and fulfill their desire for competition, but also meet relationship and mental health needs as well.

About 75 percent of the year-over-year increase was attributable to girls participation – primarily the emerging sports of flag football and wrestling. What has occurred in these two sports the past five years is phenomenal.  

Participation in girls flag football increased 48.7 percent last year – 68,847 to 102,360 – and the sport cracked the Top 10 list for most popular girls sports. The number of schools reporting girls flag football participation increased from 2,736 to 3,990 in the past year, and a total of 37 states will be either sanctioning the sport or conducting independent/pilot programs by next year.

Girls wrestling also cracked the top 10 for the first time – in terms of the number of schools offering the sport. Since the return to activities from the pandemic, the number of schools offering girls wrestling has jumped from 4,802 to 8,853, and the number of participants has increased from 31,654 to 88,771. In addition, all states are now reporting some participation in girls wrestling, and 40 state associations are now conducting state championships.       

Volleyball continued its rise in popularity and topped 500,000 participants for the first time. The top fall sport for girls moved to No. 2 in 2014-15, supplanting basketball, and now, at 502,056 participants, is only 7,014 behind outdoor track and field for the No. 1 spot.

There were equally positive reports among boys sports, starting at the top with 11-player football, which registered a 1.4 percent increase with another 14,128 participants and now stands at 1,043,716 – its highest mark since the 2016-17 season. Other top 10 boys sports that registered increases last year were outdoor track and field, soccer, golf and tennis.

The release of participation numbers comes as another season of high school sports begins around the country – and we believe that increase will translate into even more fans in the stands at football, volleyball, soccer, flag football, field hockey and other fall sports.

Why? Because education-based sports within our nation’s schools attract not only students, parents and other family members, but thousands upon thousands of community members. Different from club and other out-of-school programs where spectators are usually limited to family members, high school sports are vibrant parts of communities in many cities and towns across the country.

With approximately 7,000 high school football games on an average Friday night, it is estimated that more than seven million fans are in attendance on a weekly basis. Add volleyball, which is attracting more interest every year, and other fall sports, that number likely exceeds 10 million a week. These figures far surpass the number of fans who will attend college and pro football games on a weekly basis.

In addition to the more than 8.4 million participants in high school sports, the home page of the NFHS website has another figure – 12,415,684 – which is the estimated number of participants in athletics and performing arts activities such as music, speech, debate and theatre.

When combined, the numbers are staggering. And the key word that sets these programs apart from all other youth sports is together. To borrow from our Play.Perform.Compete.Together messaging ... 

Students grow TOGETHER in this setting as every single student has a role to play that ultimately factors into the team's success.

Fans support their native sons and daughters TOGETHER, filling stadiums, gymnasiums, natatoriums and concert halls with a medley of cheers and applause. 

Despite our personal and societal differences, high school sports bring entire communities TOGETHER for a common good. 

We have all missed that feeling over these summer months, so here's to another year – TOGETHER!    

Republishing Notice: This article may be republished by media outlets. If republished, please credit Davis Whitfield as the author and The NFHS Report as the original source.

Davis Whitfield began his tenure on August 1, 2026, as executive director of the NFHS, the national leader and advocate for high school sports and performing arts programs based in Indianapolis. He was chief operating officer of the NFHS for 11 years prior to his promotion to the executive direction position. Prior to joining the NFHS staff in 2015, Whitfield was commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) for five years. He began his career in sports administration in 1995 at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, where he was assistant athletic director for operations and facilities for three years. He then served in the athletic department at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, including two years as director of operations and facilities management and two years as assistant athletic director for operations and facilities. Prior to joining the NHSAA staff, Whitfield was on the administrative staff of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for 7½ years, including the final 2½ years as associate commissioner.