The Georgia High School Association released its reclassification enrollment numbers this week for the realignment that will be in place for the next two-year phase, which starts with the 2026-27 school year.
Class A Division II and Class A Division I will now be Class A and Class 2A, with each classification being moved up one number — with 7A being the highest class, along with a separate class for the private schools in Class 2A-4A for the playoffs. Private schools competing in Class 2A-4A will still be allowed to compete with publics during the regular season, but will have their own separate playoff brackets when the postseason rolls around.
So teams that move up one classification, such as Richmond Hill going from 6A to 7A, are staying in the top enrollment tier actually aren’t moving up a classification. The classification itself has just been renamed.
Savannah schools that are set to be moving up include Jenkins and Groves, going from 3A to 5A. Savannah Christian is moving from Class A Division I to Class 3A, and Savannah High is bumping up to Class 2A from Class A Division II, along with Bryan County.
Teams that are moving down include Benedictine to 4A (from the current Class 4A), while Beach, Islands and Johnson are pegged for 3A. Calvary Day is projected for 2A, along with Savannah Arts.
Teams are able to appeal their placement with the GHSA with a deadline of Sunday, Nov. 9.
In the current athletic year, there are eight local teams competing in Region 3-3A with Jenkins, Calvary Day, Liberty County, Beach, Windsor Forest, Johnson, Islands and Groves in the league, which helps keep travel to a minimum, while keeping local rivalries alive.
Kevin Evans, the Groves athletic director and boys basketball coach, said that the Rebels will appeal — hoping to drop down from 5A to 4A. The Rebel football team finished 0-10 this year competing in Region 3-3A. He said recent discussions within the GSHA about competitive imbalance might work in Groves’ favor for the appeal..
“Right now we are just trying to process everything about possibly having to move up,” Evans said. “We’re thinking about all the extra travel and what the competition would look like. We’re going to try to appeal it with the GHSA based on competitive balance and see how that works out.”
Benedictine is leaning toward opting up to play in Class 5A, where the Cadets are able to compete in a tough region and play against some of the top public and private schools in the state during the regular season and playoffs.
“We have not made a final decision yet,” Benedictine Athletic Director Jack Holland said at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. “But we are leaning towards 5A, as we like the challenge of playing up and feel like that’s the best thing for our student-athletes at this time.”
Historically, appeals to move up in GHSA classifications have been approved, while appeals to move down are declined more often. But with the recent emphasis on competitive balance, there are some programs, like Groves, that have a better chance of seeing their appeals go through.
Here’s a look at where Savannah area schools landed in the reclassification, before the appeals process. The deadline for appeals is Sunday, Nov. 9.
Proposed GHSA Classifications for the 2026-27 School Year
Team/Enrollment total
Class 7A
Richmond Hill 2,806
Class 6A
Effingham County 2,210
South Effingham 1,982
Bradwell Institute 1,884
Class 5A
Groves 1,535
Jenkins 1,476
Class 4A
Liberty County 1308
Benedictine 1,282
Windsor Forest 1,200
New Hampstead 1,121
Class 3A
Beach 986
Islands 965
Savannah Christian 931
Johnson 891
Class 2A
St. Vincent’s 832
Calvary Day 823
Savannah Arts 799
Woodville-Tompkins 692
Savannah High 599
Bryan County 500
Class A
Savannah Early College 345
Savannah Classical 81
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Where Savannah area athletic programs have landed in GHSA reclassification
