The Kansas High School Activities Association released its classifications for all sports except football Monday.
Emporia High remains a Class 5A school, however, it’s the largest 5A school with an enrollment of 1,334. Emporia High was the third largest 5A last year with an enrollment of 1,279.
The only change affecting an area school is Northern Heights for all sports, which will jump down to Class 1A from Class 2A. Earlier this month, the USD 251 Board of Education voted unanimously to move from 11-man to 8-man in football and move from the Flint Hills League to the Lyon County League. Both of those go into effect for the 2024-25 academic year.
In football, the only change involves area schools. Northern Heights will be an 8-Man Division I school. Burlingame will move from 8-Man Division I to Division II. Waverly will move back to 8-Man DII after playing 6-man in 2022 and 2023. Marais des Cygnes Valley will play 6-Man.
Statewide changes see Maize jump up to 6A from 5A, while JC Harmon goes down to 5A from 6A.
Concordia and Scott City jump up to 4A from 3A.
Iola and Centennial League’s Hayden jump down to 3A from 4A.
Bluestem and St. Marys move up to 3A from 2A.
Eureka and Maur Hill-Mt. Academy jumps down to 2A from 3A.
Lincoln, Oxford and Wichita Classical moved up from 1A to 2A.
Along with Northern Heights, Rawlins County, Elkhart along with Weskan, a new school, are 1A schools.
Statewide changes in football for 2024 and 25 see Maize and Wichita West move up from 5A to 6A.
Blue Valley, Blue Valley North jump from 6A to 5A. Basehor-Linwood, St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas move up to 5A from 4A.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Lansing and Sumner Academy drop from 5A to 4A.
Chaparral and Neodeha move up to 3A from 2A.
Galena and Royal Valley move down from 3A to 2A. Belle Plaine, Bluestem, Oskaloosa, Central Heights and St. Marys jump up from 1A to 2A.
Horton, Rossville drop from 2A to 1A. Marantha Academy, Moundridge, South Sumner and Cair Paravel move to 11-man football from 8-Man DI.
Along with Northern Neights, Arma-Northeast and Erie become 8-Man Division I programs. Canton Galva, Central Plains, South Central, Kinsley, St. Francis and Sylvan-Lucas move up from 8MDII to 8-M DI. Along with Burlingame, Attica/Argonia, Macksville, Osborne, and Pretty Prairie will be 8-Man DII. Along with Waverly, Deerfield, Lost Springs-Centre, and Greeley County move up from 6-Man to 8-Man DII.
Along with MdCV, South Barber and Otis-Bison become 6-Man programs.
