VHSL reclassification

[Union_Fan]

Preliminarily, it looks like Lebanon is slated for the SW District for the 2027-2031 cycle, even though they will be Class 1.

https://www.vhsl.org/forms/

Click Alignment from the grid. Then, click 2027-28 - 2030-2031.

Includes the March 2026 ADM numbers. If the Google Sheet with the ADM numbers doesn't open, you can download it.

 

[Union_Fan]

And Liberty Christian Academy coming to Class 2. 🙄

[Unchained]

19 minutes ago, Union_Fan said:

And Liberty Christian Academy coming to Class 2. 🙄

Yeah first JM in basketball now this. The VH$L claims fairness? GTFOH

[Union_Fan]

47 minutes ago, Unchained said:

Yeah first JM in basketball now this. The VH$L claims fairness? GTFOH

Guess they weren't dominating 3 enough. Maybe all the schools in 2 will revolt.

[Unchained]

I was just told that LCA petitioned to stay 3A last go round and it was approved. Let's hope this continues again.

[Gridiron60]

1 hour ago, Union_Fan said:

Preliminarily, it looks like Lebanon is slated for the SW District for the 2027-2031 cycle, even though they will be Class 1.

https://www.vhsl.org/forms/

Click Alignment from the grid. Then, click 2027-28 - 2030-2031.

Includes the March 2026 ADM numbers. If the Google Sheet with the ADM numbers doesn't open, you can download it.

 

If Grayson petitions to play in Class A, Graham has about same enrollment so see y’all AA teams later. You can battle it out with LCA😂😂😂 Just kidding, GMen don’t run from competition . Graham would rather be smallest Class AA and play schools with 200+ more students than go to Class A.
 

I actually thought Union’s numbers would be higher. Lebanon really fell well below the Class AA cutoff. I didn’t realize enrollment had dropped that much for them. 

[Union_Fan]

12 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

If Grayson petitions to play in Class A, Graham has about same enrollment so see y’all AA teams later. You can battle it out with LCA😂😂😂 Just kidding, GMen don’t run from competition . Graham would rather be smallest Class AA and play schools with 200+ more students than go to Class A.
 

I actually thought Union’s numbers would be higher. Lebanon really fell well below the Class AA cutoff. I didn’t realize enrollment had dropped that much for them. 

I know you guys have been talking about Graham for a while, but seeing those numbers is crazy.

Union has slowly, but steadily lost enrollment since 2011, while Central - Wise has slowly gained a few. Ridgeview is the school I've been watching for enrollment. Fall of 2015 they had the 9-11 equivalent of 502 students. Union had 498 in Fall 2011. Now, look at them.

And assuming enrollment keeps trending.

In 4 more years...Union - 408, Ridgeview - 394.
8 more years... Union - 407, Ridgeview - 335.

[Gridiron60]

25 minutes ago, Union_Fan said:

I know you guys have been talking about Graham for a while, but seeing those numbers is crazy.

Union has slowly, but steadily lost enrollment since 2011, while Central - Wise has slowly gained a few. Ridgeview is the school I've been watching for enrollment. Fall of 2015 they had the 9-11 equivalent of 502 students. Union had 498 in Fall 2011. Now, look at them.

And assuming enrollment keeps trending.

In 4 more years...Union - 408, Ridgeview - 394.
8 more years... Union - 407, Ridgeview - 335.

Ridgeview is trending down for sure. I didn’t realize Lee High had the highest enrollment in the M7 but admittedly I don’t know much about M7 schools’ sizes. I do think Southern Gap numbers will not hold. I’ve been reading several have transferred to various surrounding areas whether that’s true who knows. I will be interested to see opening day number for Southern Gap and how it compares to the document you shared. 

[Wolf1207]

1 hour ago, Union_Fan said:

I know you guys have been talking about Graham for a while, but seeing those numbers is crazy.

Union has slowly, but steadily lost enrollment since 2011, while Central - Wise has slowly gained a few. Ridgeview is the school I've been watching for enrollment. Fall of 2015 they had the 9-11 equivalent of 502 students. Union had 498 in Fall 2011. Now, look at them.

And assuming enrollment keeps trending.

In 4 more years...Union - 408, Ridgeview - 394.
8 more years... Union - 407, Ridgeview - 335.

That's about right. The projection for the Dickenson County population by 2050 I believe is supposed to be below 10,000. That is going to become an expensive facility to maintain over the next few decades as revenue continues to drop. Unless we recruit all the bears that seem t o be hanging out at the school now. They could be included in the next ADM! Lol

[pvfan]

How does this continue with six classes? We're a few cycles away from Graham, Marion, Tazewell and Ridgeview all being solidy Class 1. At some point, the VHSL is going to have no choice but do go away from six classes. If those schools were to drop under the current alignment, you would essentially be looking at a situation in Class 2 where if you field a team, you make the playoffs. 

We've all seen this coming over the last 2-to-3 decades and here we are. Sadly, you have to wonder how much longer many of our smaller schools can stay open and/or field teams. Truly sad, we've field good teams in our area throughout our population decline. However, the days of having to strap it up and play every Friday are long gone. Graham has lost to only Union in Region D over the last 10 seasons, I believe? I'd have never dreamed the SWD would get to this point. Meanwhile, the M7 has had two programs (Battle/Wise) that haven't had any success post COVID. Saunders will help Wise, I have no doubt, but can it be sustained?

Common sense needs to prevail here at some point. Having three Russell County schools in different leagues makes zero sense, having Battle and Va High in different leagues makes zero sense and forcing mixed districts when other districts (Hogo/Cumberland) are easily accessible for Lebanon makes zero sense. 

I miss the good ole days and they ain't coming back...

[Bluebird]

The VHSL reclassification hasn’t really changed their philosophy.  I looked at the new districts before appeals and see only two schools changing districts.  Warran county and skyline from the northwestern district to the bull run district.  I don’t see any other schools changing districts yet.  
 

Some districts are fine the way they are with schools in their district basically having the same enrollment.  
 

Howerever you have districts that need an overhaul.  

Like the colonial district in Richmond with schools classified as 6A and 2A in the same district. 

Southeastern district with schools that are 6A and 3A in the same district.

There are other districts that need an overhaul but I think you get the idea.

What the VHSL needs to do is let the schools know that the next cycle no schools will play up or down so that they can have the schools enrollment wise in the same districts.

Also the schools need to play all the schools in their district.

More than likely nothing will happen it will be 2 or 3 schools changing districts every 2 years until something major happens.

 

[VHSLhelper]

On 8/5/2026 at 6:40 AM, Sixcat Adjacent said:

My bad! I posted the wrong link.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExa2Q4cXVwZXlnc2JuNDh3cnRodHNuYXFpbnNidzl6d2x4azc4dms5cSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/Jl4mRL4xbSBAZXYsan/giphy.gif

Thanks for the clip. So sorry I missed your coronation.

 

[VHSLhelper]

On 4/12/2026 at 3:37 PM, VHSLhelper said:

I just went back and looked... last time around, 2022, the numbers were released in mid-June.
 

With Council now added in, here's what I see....

S-Gap will prob. be shown as something like 225th out of 317 high schools, and the 10th biggest of 50 in 2A, just below Poquoson. 
But in 2 years, after all the moves are done and factored in, I think we'll be around the mid-point of 2A.

 

Well, we're 223rd of 319, 12th biggest of 52 in 2A, 14 more kids than Poquoson, which lost 59 kids from last time.

[Union_Fan]

Brief article from BHC about the preliminary alignment plan...

https://archive.is/20260806113456/https://heraldcourier.com/sports/high-school/article_18d015fa-1d6c-47ff-978a-17d586aac2e9.html

[Real Sasquatch]

12 hours ago, pvfan said:

How does this continue with six classes? We're a few cycles away from Graham, Marion, Tazewell and Ridgeview all being solidy Class 1. At some point, the VHSL is going to have no choice but do go away from six classes. If those schools were to drop under the current alignment, you would essentially be looking at a situation in Class 2 where if you field a team, you make the playoffs. 

We've all seen this coming over the last 2-to-3 decades and here we are. Sadly, you have to wonder how much longer many of our smaller schools can stay open and/or field teams. Truly sad, we've field good teams in our area throughout our population decline. However, the days of having to strap it up and play every Friday are long gone. Graham has lost to only Union in Region D over the last 10 seasons, I believe? I'd have never dreamed the SWD would get to this point. Meanwhile, the M7 has had two programs (Battle/Wise) that haven't had any success post COVID. Saunders will help Wise, I have no doubt, but can it be sustained?

Common sense needs to prevail here at some point. Having three Russell County schools in different leagues makes zero sense, having Battle and Va High in different leagues makes zero sense and forcing mixed districts when other districts (Hogo/Cumberland) are easily accessible for Lebanon makes zero sense. 

I miss the good ole days and they ain't coming back...

There are more new Division 5 and Division 6 schools being built all of the time in central and northern Virginia.  The # of High Schools will continue to climb in the state.  I think 6 Divisions is here to stay.  There will just be more schools in each division, with the majority of D-1 schools being in SWVA.  

[CPF]

1 hour ago, Real Sasquatch said:

There are more new Division 5 and Division 6 schools being built all of the time in central and northern Virginia.  The # of High Schools will continue to climb in the state.  I think 6 Divisions is here to stay.  There will just be more schools in each division, with the majority of D-1 schools being in SWVA.  

This

[Union_Fan]

Let the appeals begin...

https://archive.is/Y7Klf

More detailed link for Grayson Co.

https://archive.is/20260808113958/https://roanoke.com/sports/high-school/article_43cb3c4b-9c3c-4f90-b443-c05d172c71d3.html

 

Edited Saturday at 12:28 PM by Union_Fan
Included additional link

[Pickett]

Is there anyone here who believes a word the  Grayson Super says?  Comical 

[CPF]

4 hours ago, Union_Fan said:

Let the appeals begin...

https://archive.is/Y7Klf

More detailed link for Grayson Co.

https://archive.is/20260808113958/https://roanoke.com/sports/high-school/article_43cb3c4b-9c3c-4f90-b443-c05d172c71d3.html

 

Maybe we can start a 7th class and put that coward in it by himself so he can have a trophy. What a pathetic weak little man.

[UnionGuy2017]

4 hours ago, Union_Fan said:

Let the appeals begin...

https://archive.is/Y7Klf

More detailed link for Grayson Co.

https://archive.is/20260808113958/https://roanoke.com/sports/high-school/article_43cb3c4b-9c3c-4f90-b443-c05d172c71d3.html

 

“I wanna be in 1A! I wanna I wanna I wanna!”

[Unchained]

35 minutes ago, CPF said:

Maybe we can start a 7th class and put that coward in it by himself so he can have a trophy. What a pathetic weak little man.

Yeah, we don't see Graham and Tazewell with similar numbers whining. Much respect to them both. I have no doubt that Union would buck on D1. You play the big boys to get better.

[Real Sasquatch]

Marion has also petitioned to move down to 1A

[Hokiebird7]

2 hours ago, Pickett said:

Is there anyone here who believes a word the  Grayson Super says?  Comical 

Oh I believe every word he says....I believe they are all lies

[vol_husky]

On 8/5/2026 at 8:44 PM, Gridiron60 said:

If Grayson petitions to play in Class A, Graham has about same enrollment so see y’all AA teams later. You can battle it out with LCA😂😂😂 Just kidding, GMen don’t run from competition . Graham would rather be smallest Class AA and play schools with 200+ more students than go to Class A.
 

I actually thought Union’s numbers would be higher. Lebanon really fell well below the Class AA cutoff. I didn’t realize enrollment had dropped that much for them. 

I never understood the reason behind using grades 9-11. 
 

I also looked through that list and noticed Graham is not far from 1A. 

[Plywood_King]

20 hours ago, Real Sasquatch said:

Marion has also petitioned to move down to 1A

I'd just like to get here and be the first to say it: absolutely no one in Marion thinks Marion should be in 1A. Hogo for district play, maybe, but not postseason. This is entirely an economic move by the school board. The county just proposed a localized sales tax increase to fund "school renovation and construction." This is 100% penny pinching as they look toward building a consolidated high school.