GHSA approves five private schools to play up in 4A
Private schools Benedictine, Westminster, Pace Academy, Holy Innocents’ and Eagle’s Landing Christian got GHSA permission Wednesday to play up in Class 4A starting in 2024-06, while 16 public schools have been pushed down in class as a result of the petitions to play up.
More big news will come today as 14 schools slated for the GHSA's highest class are appealing to escape it.
The GHSA's approval of Wednesday's petitions will keep those five key private schools out of the new Class 3A-A private-only division and allow them to continue to compete for state titles with public schools. It also makes Class 4A much stronger in all sports to the likely distress of the public schools already there.
It was conjectured that other private schools would petition to play up and out of 3A-A private, but notably Greater Atlanta Christian, Lovett, Calvary Day and Savannah Christian elected to remain in Class 3A or below. Those private schools will stay with public schools in the regular season but have private-only playoffs.
Also approved to play up Wednesday, mostly for better geographical or competitive fits, were Cedar Grove, Johnson-Savannah, Beach, Windsor Forest, Calvary Day and Trinity Christian to 3A and Prince Avenue Christian, Josey, Savannah Arts, Drew Charter, Technical Career Magnet, Coretta Scott King, Johnson-Augusta and Davidson Fine Arts to 2A.
When the GHSA approves petitions to move up into a class, it allows a similar number of schools to move down automatically to keep the classifications at roughly the same size.
Moving down by that process were Fayette County, Troup and Adairsville to 3A, Hardaway and Sonoraville to 2A, Elbert County, Putnam County, Brantley County, Haralson County, Toombs County, Washington County and Barrow to A Division I and Bryan County, Brooks County, Pelham and Early County to A Division II.
The GHSA will hear 24 appeals today from schools asking to move down in classification.
Most of those schools were placed in the highest classification but want to play one class lower. Those 14 are Alexander, Arabia Mountain, Central Gwinnett, Chapel Hill, Douglas County, Effingham County, Grovetown, Heritage of Conyers, Houston County, Kennesaw Mountain, New Manchester, Newnan, Rockdale County and Shiloh.
The highest classification, which will be Class 6A beginning in 2024-25, added nearly 20 schools compared to the current Class 7A. None of those asking to get out of the highest class are currently in the highest class except Central Gwinnett and Kennesaw Mountain.
Smaller schools appealing today to play lower are Allatoona, Central of Macon, Dalton, Eastside, KIPP Atlanta, Richmond Academy, Savannah, Shaw, Union Grove and Warner Robins.