NCHSAA: High school sports participation on the rise in North Carolina

High school sports participation in North Carolina is on the rise.

According to the N.C. High School Athletic Association, nearly 209,000 male and female athletes played sports during the 2023-24 school year. In the 2022-23 school year, just over 198,000 participated. That was an increase of nearly 5%.

The NCHSAA is made up of 436 mostly public high schools in North Carolina.

A few highlights:

▪ Only one sport, baseball, did not see an increase in participation. Baseball dropped from 10,727 athletes in the 2023 season to 10,574 in 2024.

▪ Boys’ and girls’ track saw big year-over-year growth with 21 new girls’ programs and 14 new boys’ programs being launched.

▪ Girls’ golf participation jumped 12% and 12 new schools fielded teams.

▪ Boys’ golf participation grew by 7%, and boys’ lacrosse grew by 6%.

By the numbers

Here are NCHSAA participation figures comparing the two most recent school years.

Source: NCHSAA