AHSAA Restructures High School Championship Play, Eliminates Class 7A

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) on Friday approved significant changes to the structure of its high school state championships, including the elimination of the state’s largest public-school classification and a new postseason format separating public and private school playoffs.

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AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon said during a press conference Friday that the Central Board of Control voted to restructure championship play following months of feedback from both public and private school members.

He said the changes will take effect for the next two-year classification cycle and apply only to postseason competition.

“The landscape of education-based athletics in Alabama is changing and the AHSAA must continue to adapt,” Harmon said. “This model is designed to expand opportunity and strengthen the overall championship experience for student-athletes across Alabama.”

Harmon said that under the new format, public schools will compete in six classifications, 1A through 6A, with the AHSAA doing away with its 7A classification, which was first introduced in 2014.

The largest classification, 6A, will include 32 schools, while the remaining classifications will be evenly distributed.

Harmon said private schools will be placed into two postseason classifications: Class 1A and Class 2A. Class 2A will include the 17 largest private schools by enrollment, while the remaining private schools will compete in Class 1A.

This would result in American Christian Academy, with an enrollment of just over 1,000 students, being placed in Class 2A for postseason play. Tuscaloosa Academy, which has around 446 students, will compete in Class 1A.

Despite the changes, Harmon emphasized that the AHSAA will remain a single unified association, saying that public and private schools will continue to compete against one another during the regular season, and all state championship events will still be held together at shared championship venues.

Private school leaders, Harmon said, requested greater financial flexibility and a more straightforward classification system. As part of the restructuring, the AHSAA says it will eliminate the enrollment multiplier and competitive balance adjustments previously applied to private schools.

“Funds from the CHOOSE Act, Accountability Act, tuition assistance, teacher reductions, and scholarships will no longer impact athletic eligibility," he said. "Private school members also voiced their desire to remove the 1.35 multiplier and competitive balance adjustments. Private schools will now be classified strictly on enrollment.”

Harmon then said the association will also create a private school headmaster and principal committee, modeled after the AHSAA superintendent’s committee, and designate a staff member to serve as director of championships for private schools.

Harmon encouraged private school administrators to remain active at the district level, noting that district participation plays a key role in AHSAA governance.

He also said member schools will continue to have access to AHSAA programs and honors, including all-star events, the Bryant-Jordan Awards, Mr. Football, Mr. and Miss Basketball, and student leadership initiatives.

“For more than 100 years, this association has provided student-athletes across Alabama with some of the best opportunities in the nation,” Harmon said. “This alignment strengthens our ability to serve every student-athlete within our mission across the state.”

Click here to learn more about the approved reclassifications.

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