By: Logan Maddox, WGAA Sports
The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) released new classifications for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years on Tuesday. This comes after months of debate over the out-of-zone multiplier. The multiplier, which previously had each out-of-zone student multiplied by two in the school’s reclassification count, was increased to three (3.0) for this reclassification.
Coming as no surprise, Cedartown High School remains a 4A school for the next two years. CHS reported an enrollment of 1361 total students with 16 of those living out-of-zone. Their reclassification count of 1393 students ranks around the middle of Class 4A.
With so many schools moving up in classification due to large out-of-zone, it opened the door for Rockmart High School to slide back down to Classification 2A. RHS, which had been a member of Region 6-3A for the past two school years, will revert down to Class 2A after reporting 956 total students and only four out-of-zone.
Rome (2037 total students, 176 out-of-zone) came in as the eleventh largest school in Class 6A, keeping them in the same classification. There was no shake up for any of the other schools in Floyd County. Model, Pepperell, and Coosa remain in Class 2A, Armuchee will continue to compete in A Public, and Darlington stays in A Private.
As for our neighbors to the south, Haralson County is listed as the eighth largest 2A school and will remain in that classification. Bremen, however, will be promoted to Class 3A. BHS only reported 733 total students, but their large out-of-zone enrollment of 217- the largest of any 2A or 3A school- moves them up in class.
Looking at other moves of note:
- Carrollton and East Paulding move up to Classification 7A for the first time in school history
- Cartersville is promoted to Class 6A where they will be joined by schools like Rome, Paulding County, South Paulding, Alexander, Allatoona, and Chapel Hill
- Private schools Blessed Trinity (5A) and Marist (4A) both move to Class 6A as well
- Dalton falls to Class 5A with schools like Calhoun, Villa Rica, Hiram, and Cass
- Each of Cedartown’s current region members (Central-Carroll, Heritage-Catoosa, Northwest Whitfield, Pickens, Ridgeland, Southeast Whitfield) stay in Class 4A
- Sonoraville, formerly of Rockmart’s Region 6-3A, is promoted to Class 4A
- Lovett jumps from Class 2A to Class 4A, serving as the only private school in the entire classification
- Northwest Georgia schools in Classification 3A along with Bremen include Adairsville, LaFayette, Murray County, North Murray, and Ringgold.
- Notable schools remaining in Class 2A include Callaway, Chattooga, Gordon Central, Heard County, and Temple
- Bowdon, Gordon Lee, Mount Zion, and Trion will all stay in Classification A Public
For the full list of reclassification changes and enrollment numbers, the GHSA article can be viewed at https://www.ghsa.net/sites/default/files/documents/reclassification/GHSA_2021_Classifications.pdf.