GHSA Splits Douglas Schools into 4 Regions

The era of Douglas County’s public high schools all competing in the same sports region appears to be over.

The Georgia High School Association unveiled the proposed classifications Monday for all of its member schools under a , and the changes are significant in Douglas County.

The GHSA will reveal the proposed regions for each class Dec. 6. All schools have until Dec. 5 to ask to move into a higher classification, usually for geographic convenience, but here’s how things stand now.

• will move from the current second-highest level, AAAA, to the new 65-school top level, AAAAAA.

No one else in the Tigers’ current region, 5-AAAA, is moving into AAAAAA, so Douglas County will have to get used to playing new schools. The closest geographic fit for the Tigers’ new region is likely with some or all of the schools in the current 4-AAAAA, all in Cobb County: , , , , , , and .

• and will join most of 5-AAAA in moving into AAAAA, which will have 71 teams. If the GHSA goes for the most balanced setup and creates seven nine-team regions and one eight-team region, the Jaguars and Lions will likely be grouped with a lot of familiar foes, such as the five Paulding County high schools and Villa Rica.

All of the 15 schools in 5-AAAA except Douglas County, Alexander and Chapel Hill are joining New Manchester and Lithia Springs in AAAAA next school year.

• is staying in AAAA, joining 70 other schools, such as in Bartow County and in Cherokee County.

• is moving down to AAA, joining schools such as Adairsville and . Whatever region the Panthers are placed in, they’re looking at much more travel next year.

The GHSA grouped the schools based on their self-reported enrollments this year from ninth to 11th grade.

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.

What do you think about the reclassification breaking up Douglas County's public schools?