ROANOKE, W.Va. — The West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission Board of Control unanimously approved a proposal Tuesday for high schools to be classified on the total enrollment figures of grades 9-12 based on enrollment figures from the West Virginia Department of Education.
The Board of Control, which passed the the proposal by a vote of 150-0, is comprised of middle school and high school principals across West Virginia.
Under the proposal, schools with an enrollment of 1,050 or more will be Class AAAA; schools with enrollment of 625-1,049 will be Class AAA; schools with an enrollment of 351-624 will be Class AA; and schools with an enrollment of 350 or less will be Class A.
(Note: In the images below, the following color codes apply for classifications: Class AAAA = grey; Class AAA = blue; Class AA = yellow; Class A = red)
Reclassification will go into effect beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
Enrollment will be calculated at the start of the second school month of the year preceding classification.
Proposals were submitted last month during the WVSSAC Girls Basketball State Tournament, discussed Monday and voted on Tuesday at Stonewall Resort.
Also Tuesday, in a separate vote, the Board of Control determined what sports will utilize a four, three and no classification system.
A four-class structure will be utilized for cheer, football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball.
A three-class structure of Class AAAA, Class AAA and Class AA/A will be utilized for golf, cross country, soccer, wrestling, tennis and track.
Swimming will not have a designated classification.
Any proposal passed by the Board of Control must later be approved by the West Virginia Board of Education, which will first hear public comments. A review from the Secretary of State Office for a 60-day window would be the next step before going into effect.
Two months ago, the state Board of Education rejected a classification proposal that had been approved by the Board of Control in October 2024. It called for the removal of location score factoring into enrollment and sought to alter the socioeconomic status factor to include direct certified numbers from the state department of education.
The proposal called for a modified enrollment to consist of a school’s enrollment minus students receiving direct certification services multiplied by 0.5. (An example for a school with an enrollment of 1,000 of which 300 students receive direct certification would be 300 x 0.5 equaling 150, which would be subtracted from 1,000 for a modified enrollment of 850.)
Also in October 2024, the Board of Control voted to pass reclassifying schools every two years as opposed to four starting at the end of the second school month in 2025 and every odd-numbered year thereafter.