MHSAA approves a seventh classification
MHSAA executive committee voted 13-1 on Thursday to add a seventh classification, according to executive director Rickey Neaves. The seventh classification will be implemented in the 2023-24 school year.
The executive board discussed adding the seventh classification in February and tabled the vote until April. The focus over the last two months has been gathering information on how adding a new classification would help even the playing field for schools with higher enrollments.
“This does level the competition in the state as for as the discrepancy between the number of students in our higher classifications,” Neaves said. “It makes it where there is no longer a thousand-member difference between the upper and bottoms schools.
“We think it creates a better environment for all students involved.”
Tupelo — the largest school in Class 6A — had 1,907 students in October 2020 when the MHSAA made its 2021-23 classifications. Nineteen of the 32 schools in Class 6A had enrollments of 500 fewer students. Olive Branch, Pascagoula, Grenada and Center Hill each had fewer than 1,100 students.
“The 6A and 5A schools were definitethe ly elated that number has gotten smaller,” Neaves said. “Classes 1A through 4A were glad that number did not increase.”
MHSAA will reclassify schools based on student population in October, and those reclassifications will start in the 2023-24 school year. The 24 schools with the highest enrollments will be included in Class 7A, followed by the next 24 schools in 6A and 5A, respectively. Classifications 4A through 2A will include the next 40 schools with the highest enrollments. All remaining schools will compete in Class 1A.
The executive board will set classes and regions for sports that need classes combined, including swimming, tennis, archery and bowling.