In a milestone decision, the Alabama High School Athletic Association will split private and public schools in athletics for championship play beginning in next fall.
The 15-member Central Board voted 13-2 in favor of the decision for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years Friday morning. Board president Terry Curtis and Blount principal Jerome Woods voted no.
Private schools still will be able to play public schools in the regular season. It marks the first time in the AHSAA’s 104-year history that all members won’t compete for the same championships.
“We are not separating,” AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon said of hte decision. “We are restructuring our championship pathways. It impacts who plays who in the playoffs. It does impact anything else. This provids expanded opportunities for championships, not separation.”
The Central Board convened for a work session on Thursday in Montgomery before Friday morning’s vote. After introductions Friday morning, the Board immediately went into executive session. After approximately a 20-minute session, they came back and voted quickly.
There will be six public school classifications in football with the top class having 32 teams. The private schools will be broken into a larger-school classification and a small-school classification. Harmon said the playoff breakdown and schedule for private schools will be released at a later date. The Board only voted on fall reclassification Friday.
As girls flag football continues to grow, the classifications will double from two to four. The public schools will be divided into 1-4A, 5A and 6A. The private school teams will play in one classification.
The reclassification was originally scheduled to be released in December, but the AHSAA was met with mediation surrounding the 2024 CHOOSE Act and what it means for the eligibility of private school athletes who receive the $7,000 to transfer.
The AHSAA reclassifies every two years. Classification is based on average daily membership figures furnished by the state department of education for grades 9-11 plus eighth-grade students that are retained in the ninth grade.
Private schools have been additionally assessed a 1.35 multiplier per student, which serves to elevate schools up a classification in most cases. They’ve also been subject to competitive balance, which can raise certain athletic teams up additionally based on a certain threshold of success. Those added assessments will no longer be in use with private schools playing for their own championships.
This post will be updated
