By Jeff Devine, Editor-in-Chief, Dale County Chronicle
Major changes are coming to high school sports in Alabama. The Alabama High School Athletic Association Central Board of Control has approved a major restructuring of its classification system for championship competition beginning with the 2026–27 school year.
The new alignment replaces the long-standing seven-class public school model with six classifications for public schools and two for private schools, a change that officials say will expand championship opportunities while addressing competitive balance concerns raised by member schools.
Under the plan, public and private schools will continue to compete against one another during the regular season. However, postseason championship play will now follow separate public and private pathways, with all championships still held together at shared venues.
The restructuring also eliminates Class 7A, making Class 6A the largest classification with the state’s 32 largest schools.
What You Need to Know: Choose Act & Private School Athletics
The classification overhaul follows an ongoing legal and policy dispute involving the AHSAA and the State of Alabama over how private schools — particularly those enrolling students through Choose Act funding — are treated in athletic competition.
Key points:
State officials argued private schools were unfairly penalized by enrollment multipliers and eligibility rules tied to tuition assistance and scholarships.
In response, the AHSAA approved changes that:
Remove the 1.35 enrollment multiplier for private schools
Eliminate competitive balance adjustments
End consideration of Choose Act funds, scholarships, and tuition assistance when determining athletic eligibility
Private schools will now be classified strictly by enrollment.
These changes apply only to postseason play and do not affect regular-season scheduling.
AHSAA officials emphasized the changes are designed to reduce legal uncertainty while maintaining one unified athletic association.
What This Means for Local Playoff Matchups
For Dale County and Wiregrass-area schools, the changes are expected to create clearer and more predictable postseason paths, particularly for public schools.
With public and private schools separated in postseason play:
Local public schools will no longer face private-school programs in state playoff brackets.
Region and area championships will play a larger role in shaping postseason advancement.
Playoff matchups are expected to be based more heavily on geographic alignment and enrollment parity, rather than cross-sector competition.
While regular-season schedules are unlikely to change, postseason runs could become more streamlined and attainable for consistently competitive local programs.
As a result of the changes, local private schools, including Houston Academy, Northside Methodist, Emmanuel Christian, Providence Christian, and Pike Liberal Arts will not compete with public schools for the championships over the next two years. They will still be allowed to schedule and play public schools during the regular season, but they will only be allowed to compete against other private schools in championship play.
Area Private Schools Express Displeasure with Changes
Several area private schools, including Providence Christian, have been vocal about their disappointment and frustration with the new rules.
“We are incredibly disappointed,” said Providence Christian’s athletic director, Cliff Carter. “[We] will continue to be who we are. We will continue to work hard to develop our athletes. We will continue to do what is best for our student body and our families. We will do everything we can to give our kids opportunities and we will be seriously evaluating our future within this organization.”
Carter added he has spoken with leaders at other local private schools and says the sentiments are the same.
Carter also expressed an emphasis on his disappointment with what he described as private school students “no longer [being] seen as equal” with students from public schools and they will not be allowed in postseason play for the state.”
(2026–27 & 2027–28)
Under the newly approved alignment, local schools will be classified as follows:
Carroll High School – Class 4A, Area 2
Dale County High School – Class 4A, Area 2
Daleville High School – Class 3A, Area 2
Ariton High School – Class 2A, Area 2
G.W. Long High School – Class 2A, Area 2
Wicksburg High School – Class 3A
Fall sports alignments have already been released, while winter and spring sports alignments will be finalized following the conclusion of their championship seasons.
Nearly 200,000 student-athletes are expected to participate in AHSAA sports during the upcoming seasons under the new classifications.
