9 of 11 Columbus area high schools are moved in latest GHSA reclassification
Nine of the 11 Columbus area high schools that play varsity sports in the Georgia High School Association have been moved up in classification.
The GHSA has released its latest reclassification of schools, which will be in effect for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, based on enrollment. To combat perceived competitive advantages from alleged recruiting, the GHSA includes in its formula a multiplier that triples a school’s number of students who reside outside the assigned attendance zone.
Here’s how the GHSA’s reclassification affects high schools in the Columbus area:
Muscogee County
Carver (859 students, 77 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-3A.
Columbus (1,132 students, five out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-4A.
Hardaway (1,017 students, 59 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-4A.
Jordan (1,017 students, 36 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-3A.
Kendrick (788 students, 33 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-3A.
Northside (1,354 students, 251 out of zone) will move from Region 3-4A to Region 3-6A.
Rainey-McCullers (271 students, eight out of zone), which doesn’t play varsity football, will remain in Region 6-1A.
Shaw (1,071 students, 60 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-4A.
Spencer (1,050 students, 42 out of zone) will move from Region 1-2A to Region 1-4A.
Schools outside Columbus
Harris County (1,695 students, 13 out of zone) will move from Region 3-4A to Region 3-5A.
Chattahoochee County (469 students, six out of zone) will remain in Region 6-1A.
Impact on Muscogee County
The GHSA allows schools to appeal their reclassification. Among the more than 50 appeals this year throughout the state, 17 were successful, MCSD athletics director Kendall Mills told the Ledger-Enquirer. Northside was the only MCSD school to appeal but wasn’t successful, Mills said.
Reclassification’s most significant impact on MCSD will be increased travel expenses and time.
Instead of having seven of MCSD’s nine high schools in the same region, MCSD will have no more than four in the same region. So MCSD will pay for more charter bus trips costing at least $1,000 to transport teams to various parts of the state – and less trips within Columbus costing approximately $150 using MCSD buses, Mills said.
And MCSD student athletes will miss more classes because they will have to get out of school earlier for their teams to travel longer distances for games.
MCSD, however, is used to dealing with that situation because the GHSA classifications had Muscogee high schools in similar regions four years ago, Mills said.
“Most schools have academic tutoring setup, and some even on Saturdays, where students can come in and get services for those core classes,” he said. “That’s going to benefit us a lot. Each principal can make up their own way for students to recover those (class) hours that are missed.”
On a positive note, Mills said, this new reclassification will give more MCSD high schools chances to win region and state championships since fewer of them will play each other.
Impact on Harris County
Harris County High School athletics director Jeff Wheeless told the Ledger-Enquirer he expected HCHS to move up from Class 4A to 5A – and he welcomes the challenge.
“This will open new opportunities, and we are excited to see what new opportunities will be available for our programs,” he said in an emailed interview. “Our goals remain the same: compete at a high level, represent Harris County with pride, prepare our student-athletes to be positive and productive citizens, and provide them with the best possible experience during their high school years.”
Wheeless acknowledged the new region for HCHS will increase travel expenses for the school’s teams.
“We have three or four schools in our (new) region that are at least an hour and a half bus ride from Harris County High School,” he said. “This will cause some challenges with scheduling and competing during the week, but we will have a plan and make it work.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 1:20 PM.
