NFHS

High School Sports Participation Increases Again

Not only are young kids playing sports, but according to the annual National Federation of State High School Associations  (NFHS) High School Athletics Participation Survey, participation in high school sports increased for the fifth consecutive year in 2025-26 and set another all-time record. The gains were led by continual growth of girls flag football and girls wrestling.

The survey shows that 8.4 million participants were involved in high school sports in 2025-26 – up 149,000 from the previous year. The total includes 4.8 million boys and 3.7 million girls – both record highs.

Girls participation in flag football and wrestling continues to surge since the pandemic. In the first post-pandemic survey in 2021-22, there were 15,716 girls participating in flag football nationally. That number has now ballooned to 102,360, an increase of 87,000 participants in just four years.

Participation in girls’ flag football vaulted 48.7 percent last year, from 68,847 to 102,360, and the sport cracked the Top 10 list for most popular girls sports. The number of schools reporting girls flag football participation increased from 2,736 to 3,990 in the past year, and a total of 37 states will be either sanctioning the sport or conducting independent/pilot programs by next year.

Participation in girls wrestling climbed 19.9 percent from the previous year, from 74,064 to 88,771. Since the return to activities from the pandemic, the number of schools offering the sport has jumped from 4802 to 8853. In addition, all states are now reporting some participation in girls’ wrestling and 40 state associations are now conducting state championships.

SFIA

Team Sports Lead Growth

Sports and fitness participation in the United States has reached a new record high, according to mid-year data released recently by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). For the 12 months ending June 2026, 81.3 percent of Americans ages six and older participated in at least one of the 126 sports and fitness activities SFIA tracks, while inactivity fell to a record low of 18.7 percent.

The findings are featured in SFIA’s “2026 First Half Game Plan: Key Moves in Sports Participation Report,” the second edition of SFIA’s mid-year participation analysis designed to provide the industry with timely insights into where participation trends are headed.

Team sports emerged as the fastest-growing major participation category, increasing 3.8 percent. Growth was widespread across the category, with Basketball, Flag Football and Baseball among the sports posting notable gains. Overall team sports participation has now increased for three consecutive years.

“There is a lot to be encouraged about in the firs thalf data: Participation is at a record high, inactivity is at a record low and many team sports are showing strong momentum,” says Alex Kerman, senior director, head of research for SFIA. “At the same time, the data shows that we cannot take continued growth for granted. Rising costs are already affecting how some Americans participate, making affordability and access increasingly important as our industry works to turn today’s momentum into sustained engagement.”

The report finds that affordability is already influencing participation decisions. More than one-quarter of participants say out-of-pocket costs have affected how they participate, and among those already affected by costs, roughly one-quarter say they are very unlikely to continue their current activities if costs continue to rise.

Three in 10 participants reported higher participation costs compared with last year, with inflation, higher facility or membership fees, sports equipment and tariffs among the most commonly cited drivers of those increases. Notably, one in four participants experiencing higher costs pointed to tariffs on sports equipment as a reason for those increases.

“While it is encouraging to see more Americans participating than ever before, our industry continues to face a significant burden from current and forthcoming tariffs,” adds Aneysha Bhat, director of government affairs and strategic advocacy for SFIA. “Tariffs put further pressure on families, businesses and communities working to keep participation accessible and affordable. With a once-in-a-generation decade of major sporting events underway, we should remove barriers that keep Americans — especially our youth — from being active. SFIA will continue advocating for economic and trade policies that expand access and create more opportunities for all Americans to participate.”

MORE TEAM highlights from NFHS

Girls’ basketball showed some recovery, with participation up 6142 from the previous year to halt a downward trend that has seen numbers decline 100,000 during the past 20 years.

Overall, girls’ participation in high school sports increased by 114,993, a 3.2 percent jump. Volleyball continued its annual climb with another 9257 participants and topped 500,000 for the first time, making it number two in popularity for girls, trailing track and field. In addition, girls’ golf participation increased 6.3 percent to 90,176.

“We are pleased to see the number of students involved in high school sports continuing to rise every year,” says Davis Whitfield, NFHS executive director. “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.”

Five of the top 10 boys sports registered increases in 2025-26, including 11-player football, outdoor track and field, soccer, golf and tennis.

Eleven-player football registered a 1.4 percent increase with another 14,128 participants and now stands at 1.04 million, by far the most popular sport for boys or girls. The sport is continuing to rebound from the pandemic and posted its highest mark since the 2016-17 season.

In addition to 11-player football, 33,200 boys were involved with 6-, 8- and 9-player football, and 4334 girls were involved in all four versions of the sport.

Golf had the largest percentage increase among boys’ sports, with an 8.3 percent rise to 175,757 participants, while outdoor track and field was up about 4000 participants, and tennis and soccer each gained about 3000 participants.

Texas (911,405) and California (859,022) remained atop the list of state participation – by a wide margin. Ohio (347,994) ranked third, followed by Illinois (326,756), Pennsylvania (315,647), New York (312,563), Florida (311,233), Michigan (295,634), New Jersey (273,711) and Minnesota (241,536).