Schools

GHSA Costs Lithia Springs Local Rivals

Reclassification doesn't affect Hillgrove and McEachern, but only one Douglas County school will be grouped with the Lions next year.

and will likely remain region rivals and will continue to compete against the biggest high schools in the state under the Georgia High School Association’s proposed reclassification for next school year.

Meanwhile, will stay in the second-highest classification in the GHSA’s shift from five to six classes.

The GHSA unveiled the proposed classifications for the next two years Monday based on this year’s enrollment of ninth- to 11th-graders for each of its member schools.

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While the structural changes statewide are significant, the public schools in the Springs won't be affected beyond adding an A to their affiliations and facing some new regional foes.

Hillgrove and McEachern, now in AAAAA, are among the 65 schools that will make up AAAAAA next year. All of the other schools now in 4-AAAAA also will make that move.

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Likely to join them in a new region is , which is moving up from AAAA.

That means Lithia Springs, which is moving from AAAA to AAAAA with 11 of the 14 other members of Region 5-AAAA, won’t compete with Douglas County for playoff spots anymore.

is joining Lithia Springs in AAAAA, while the GHSA has placed the other public high schools in Douglas County, and , in lower classes.

The GHSA will reveal the proposed regions for each classification Dec. 6, the day after the deadline for schools to ask to be moved to a higher class.

The attached PDF file shows all six classifications, including each school’s current or projected enrollment of ninth- to 11th-graders. There are 65 schools in AAAAAA, 71 each in AAAAA and AAAA, 70 in AAA, 66 in AA and 97 in A, although only 71 of the A schools play football.

You can read more about the reclassification in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Marietta Daily Journal and Score Atlanta.


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