High school sports participation has once again reached an all-time high nationally, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Connecticut, however, saw its participation numbers drop.
There were over 8.4 million participants in high school athletics nationwide during the 2025-26 academic year, a 1.8% increase over 2024-25. The NFHS counts athletes once for each sport they play, meaning multisport athletes are included more than once.
Connecticut fell three places nationally, from 29th to 32nd. The NFHS reported 107,053 participants (59,666 boys and 47,387 girls) in the state, down 4,611, or 4.13%, from 111,664 in 2024-25.
The CIAC, which uses a different method to compile participation data, reported 101,444 athletic participants (55,990 boys and 45,454 girls) in Connecticut during 2025-26, down 1,908, or 1.85%, from 103,352 in 2024-25.
The number of boys participating declined by 1,462, or 2.54%, from 57,452 in 2024-25, while the number of girls participating increased by 1,760, or 4.03%, from 43,694 in 2024-25.
The 2024-25 total also included 2,206 participants whose gender was not specified, which is why the changes in the boys and girls totals do not correspond directly with the overall decline.
“I think there’s a few challenges that exist in terms of maintaining participation rates here in Connecticut,” CIAC executive director Glenn Lungarini said. “We are still experiencing a decline in student population each year.”
Lungarini also noted that more districts are instituting pay-for-play. Southington and Windsor have done so since June.
“You’re seeing more and more school districts that are in financial positions where they have to go to pay to participate,” Lungarini said. “One of the negatives is when those are instituted, it does have an impact of declining participation.”
Lungarini said there’s been an increase in co-ops. In football, for example, Lewis Mills and Wolcott Tech formed a co-op, while Plainfield joined the preexisting Quinebaug Valley co-op. In another example, Windham added Coventry and Bolton, former members of the Coventry co-op, along with Parish Hill.
“Co-ops are great opportunities, but I think it does challenge participation a bit,” Lungarini said.
Nationally, girls flag football participation increased by 48.7%, from 68,847 participants in 2024-25 to 102,360 in 2025-26.
Girls flag football has also grown significantly in Connecticut, with 23 schools participating in the 2026 tournament, up from 10 in its inaugural year in 2025.
“I think you’re seeing kids talking to their athletic directors, their schools, about the sports that they want to participate in,” Lungarini said.
Girls wrestling increased by 19.9% nationally, from 74,064 participants in 2024-25 to 88,771 in 2025-26. The increase in Connecticut was even larger: 27.17%, from 357 wrestlers in 2024-25 to 454 in 2025-26.
“Over the last three to five years, we’ve seen those numbers continue to grow,” Lungarini said.
Football was still the most popular sport in the country for boys, with 1,043,716 participants in 2025-26. For girls, outdoor track and field was the most popular sport with 509,070 participants in 2025-26.
The NFHS participation survey began in 1971, one year before the passage of Title IX, which helped drive dramatic growth in girls high school sports.
“We are pleased to see the number of students involved in high school sports continuing to rise every year,” NFHS chief executive officer Davis Whitfield said in a press release. “Education-based sports within our nation’s schools is a privilege not available in most other countries, and we are thankful these opportunities continue to expand.
“We salute the coaches, athletic directors and school administrators for making these experiences happen, especially with some of the recent growth in several emerging sports. It is great to see new sport opportunities created to involve as many students as possible in high school sports.”
Whitfield became chief executive officer on Aug. 1, succeeding Karissa Niehoff, who stepped down in April.
This article originally published at Connecticut high school sports participation declines as national total hits record high.
About the Author
