Participation in high school sports had declined in recent years, with much of the blame cast toward the pandemic’s grip that suffocated the normalcy in American culture.
But the numbers from 2023 are showing positive trends, a rise that has not been seen in high school sports since 1995.
According to a study conducted by Lending Tree, the numbers obtained from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) show that nearly 6 million students participated in sports during the 2022-23 calendar, a 3.1% increase from 2021-22.
And while that overall bump is lower than the record-high of 2017-18, where some 6.1 million students played high school sports, the increase is a welcomed progression in the grand scheme of the “New Normal.”
However, the most interesting data from the study goes beyond the macro and spotlights a micro-focused breakdown of each state’s participation numbers, which includes boys’ and girls’ percentages toward the overall total.
Which states have the highest participation rates?
The lowest?
Although some of rankings across the country weren’t surprising, the answer to both questions came with a heavy dose of astonishment.
Take a look …
50. Nevada
Boys’ participation: 21.8%
Girls’ participation: 17%
Overall: 19.4%
49. Florida
Boys’ participation: 23.9%
Girls’ participation: 20.2%
Overall: 22.2%
48. Georgia
Boys’ participation: 28.2%
Girls’ participation: 20.2%
Overall: 24.3%
47. Arizona
Boys’ participation: 28.6%
Girls’ participation: 21.5%
Overall: 25.1%
46. North Carolina
Boys’ participation: 30.3%
Girls’ participation: 19.6%
Overall: 25.1%
45. Vermont
Boys’ participation: 25.1%
Girls’ participation: 26.4%
Overall: 25.7%
44. Tennessee
Boys’ participation: 32.5%
Girls’ participation: 18.8%
Overall: 25.9%
43. Utah
Boys’ participation: 29.6%
Girls’ participation: 24.2%
Overall: 27%
42. South Carolina
Boys’ participation: 34.7%
Girls’ participation: 21.1%
Overall: 28.2%
41. California
Boys’ participation: 31.5%
Girls’ participation: 24.9%
Overall: 28.3%
40. Maryland
Boys’ participation: 31.7%
Girls’ participation: 25.4%
Overall: 28.6%
39. New York
Boys’ participation: 30.9%
Girls’ participation: 26.7%
Overall: 28.9%
38. Alaska
Boys’ participation: 31.7%
Girls’ participation: 27.1%
Overall: 29.4%
37. Virginia
Boys’ participation: 33.9%
Girls’ participation: 26.2%
Overall: 30.2%
36. Indiana
Boys’ participation: 35.5%
Girls’ participation: 26.9%
Overall: 31.4%
35. Louisiana
Boys’ participation: 41.9%
Girls’ participation: 25.2%
Overall: 33.6%
34. West Virginia
Boys’ participation: 38.7%
Girls’ participation: 28.9%
Overall: 33.9%
33. Washington
Boys’ participation: 38%
Girls’ participation: 31.5%
Overall: 34.9%
32. New Mexico
Boys’ participation: 38.3%
Girls’ participation: 32%
Overall: 35.2%
31. Idaho
Boys’ participation: 40.3%
Girls’ participation: 30.1%
Overall: 35.4%
30. Oklahoma
Boys’ participation: 39%
Girls’ participation: 32.7%
Overall: 35.9%
t-28. Kentucky
Boys’ participation: 38.1%
Girls’ participation: 33.8%
Overall: 36%
t-28. Texas
Boys’ participation: 42.2%
Girls’ participation: 29.6%
Overall: 36%
27. Oregon
Boys’ participation: 39.2%
Girls’ participation: 33.7%
Overall: 36.5%
26. Illinois
Boys’ participation: 43.4%
Girls’ participation: 33.1%
Overall: 38.4%
25. Pennsylvania
Boys’ participation: 39.9%
Girls’ participation: 37.7%
Overall: 38.8%
24. Colorado
Boys’ participation: 39.5%
Girls’ participation: 39.7%
Overall: 39.6%
23. Ohio
Boys’ participation: 46.2%
Girls’ participation: 33.2%
Overall: 39.9%
t-21. Hawaii
Boys’ participation: 44.1%
Girls’ participation: 35.4%
Overall: 40%
t-21. Missouri
Boys’ participation: 45.6%
Girls’ participation: 34.1%
Overall: 40%
20. Michigan
Boys’ participation: 45.6%
Girls’ participation: 34.4%
Overall: 40.1%
19. Arkansas
Boys’ participation: 44.4%
Girls’ participation: 37.5%
Overall: 41.2%
18. Delaware
Boys’ participation: 45.9%
Girls’ participation: 38%
Overall: 42.1%
17. New Jersey
Boys’ participation: 49%
Girls’ participation: 36.3%
Overall: 42.7%
16. Wisconsin
Boys’ participation: 49.3%
Girls’ participation: 36.9%
Overall: 43.4%
15. Connecticut
Boys’ participation: 47%
Girls’ participation: 41.4%
Overall: 44.3%
14. New Hampshire
Boys’ participation: 50.6%
Girls’ participation: 41.7%
Overall: 46.2%
13. Rhode Island
Boys’ participation: 52.1%
Girls’ participation: 41.1%
Overall: 46.7%
12. Montana
Boys’ participation: 50.4%
Girls’ participation: 44.8%
Overall: 47.8%
11. Massachusetts
Boys’ participation: 53.7%
Girls’ participation: 42.8%
Overall: 48.4%
10. South Dakota
Boys’ participation: 50.1%
Girls’ participation: 47.1%
Overall: 48.7%
9. Kansas
Boys’ participation: 56.1%
Girls’ participation: 41.4%
Overall: 48.9%
t-7. North Dakota
Boys’ participation: 59.2%
Girls’ participation: 44.6%
Overall: 52.3%
t-7 Nebraska
Boys’ participation: 57.9%
Girls’ participation: 46.1%
Overall: 52.3%
6. Alabama
Boys’ participation: 64.1%
Girls’ participation: 42.7%
Overall: 53.6%
5. Minnesota
Boys’ participation: 58.6%
Girls’ participation: 49.6%
Overall: 54.1%
4. Wyoming
Boys’ participation: 55.6%
Girls’ participation: 53.2%
Overall: 54.5%
3. Mississippi
Boys’ participation: 65%
Girls’ participation: 47.6%
Overall: 56.1%
2. Iowa
Boys’ participation: 64.9%
Girls’ participation: 51.5%
Overall: 58.6%
1. Maine
Boys’ participation: 66.7%
Girls’ participation: 57.3%
Overall: 62.1%
