2022-2024 SCHSL Reclassification/Realignment Guide

[Rebel-Fan-74]

Others don't need to lose, we could move up if others stay the same. Looking at the previous alignment, adding 75 students each to SF and WF would have put both of them in 5A.

Like he said, there are already 40 teams in class 5A. That directive said that was their limit at that class, so if SF and WF moved up into that 40, someone would have to drop out, even without losing students. Is that your understanding as well?

Well if they stay the same and SF and WF move up, then #39 and #40 would drop to 4A but I don't know who those two were....

[SF Band dad]

Others don't need to lose, we could move up if others stay the same. Looking at the previous alignment, adding 75 students each to SF and WF would have put both of them in 5A.

Like he said, there are already 40 teams in class 5A. That directive said that was their limit at that class, so if SF and WF moved up into that 40, someone would have to drop out, even without losing students. Is that your understanding as well?

Yes. But I think that WF was the largest school in 4A, 3 more students would have put them in 5A. SF was only 26 students shy of 5A. Timmonsville (which is closing and being absorbed into FS1) had about 150 students this year.

[bringthewood]

It really isn't that hard; don't think about 'who moves up and who moves down'. Simply look at as every 2 years there is a school ADM count, and then the schools are ranked the from largest to smallest.

From that it is determined, from the top (5A), how many members are in that group and then the cut off number to the next group (4A). Then it is determined how many members are in the 2nd group (4A) which will determine the cut off for the 3rd group (3A).... and so forth.

There is no 'moving up/moving down'' in the process. We as fans see it as such, but that is not how the process determines the 5 classifications. The process is to simply count the students of the member schools and then rank the member schools from largest to smallest.

Once the ranking (largest to smallest) and the number of the 5 groupings (5A to 1A) are determined; the tough part starts: dividing each classification into regions that have schools that are geographically close to each other.

This is the bugbear of the process; and where most petitions from the member schools come from; geographic regions.... because of travel costs in time and money.

This message board's directors have independently done this with Google Maps for illustration several times and they can tell you; it ain't easy.

Occasionally rivalries come into play in these petitions, but generally once the reclassification comes out it will pretty much stand unless there are 2 schools that willing to swap positions and classifications.

Think about it in these terms. It is a lot like when Congressional districts have to redraw district lines. There is no way to satisfy everyone. BUT with high school reclassifications, you actually have the fans(voters) caring about the the outcome.

[Penguin]

Others don't need to lose, we could move up if others stay the same. Looking at the previous alignment, adding 75 students each to SF and WF would have put both of them in 5A.

Like he said, there are already 40 teams in class 5A. That directive said that was their limit at that class, so if SF and WF moved up into that 40, someone would have to drop out, even without losing students. Is that your understanding as well?

Yes. But I think that WF was the largest school in 4A, 3 more students would have put them in 5A. SF was only 26 students shy of 5A. Timmonsville (which is closing and being absorbed into FS1) had about 150 students this year.

You guys there in Florence have the luxury of being able to be competitive, be it as 4A or 5A. Some schools, like Stall, don't. But they don't want to be 4A and have to absorb all of the travel related expenses for every sport, having to travel to Hilton Head, Bluffton, and May River. That amounts to a lot of fuel and wear & tare on equipment over the course of 2 school years considering that most sports are home and home, meaning trips to all of those schools for many different sports.

I know that Sumter is another school that faces a lot of travel. I will be curious as to how those top 36 shake out. And then who wants to be moved up, and or down.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

It really isn't that hard; don't think about 'who moves up and who moves down'. Simply look at as every 2 years there is a school ADM count, and then the schools are ranked the from largest to smallest.

We all know all of that, but we use the terms MOVE UP and MOVE DOWN rather than typing out "moving from 5A to 4A" and in essence, that is what happened.

[SF Band dad]

December 8, 2021 Forward 45 ADM enrollment information to member schools for verification of enrollment count

If any of you have the final SCHSL 45 ADM enrollment numbers, please post them or send them to me by PM.

Thanks,
SFBD

[Rebel-Fan-74]

In 2019, it was Dec 18th or 19th before they released them from the SCHSL.

[SHS Gamecock Fan]

Others don't need to lose, we could move up if others stay the same. Looking at the previous alignment, adding 75 students each to SF and WF would have put both of them in 5A.

Like he said, there are already 40 teams in class 5A. That directive said that was their limit at that class, so if SF and WF moved up into that 40, someone would have to drop out, even without losing students. Is that your understanding as well?

Yes. But I think that WF was the largest school in 4A, 3 more students would have put them in 5A. SF was only 26 students shy of 5A. Timmonsville (which is closing and being absorbed into FS1) had about 150 students this year.

You guys there in Florence have the luxury of being able to be competitive, be it as 4A or 5A. Some schools, like Stall, don't. But they don't want to be 4A and have to absorb all of the travel related expenses for every sport, having to travel to Hilton Head, Bluffton, and May River. That amounts to a lot of fuel and wear & tare on equipment over the course of 2 school years considering that most sports are home and home, meaning trips to all of those schools for many different sports.

I know that Sumter is another school that faces a lot of travel. I will be curious as to how those top 36 shake out. And then who wants to be moved up, and or down.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Sumter. Voting for rezoning attendance lines will be coming soon for all 3 of the high schools in Sumter (SHS, Lakewood and Crestwood). Because of this the attendance at each school change drastically. Sumter High has about 2700 students and Lakewood and Crestwood both have about 1200. Since these schools all became 1 school district the Sumter area has never been rezoned.

[WhoDat]

Others don't need to lose, we could move up if others stay the same. Looking at the previous alignment, adding 75 students each to SF and WF would have put both of them in 5A.

Like he said, there are already 40 teams in class 5A. That directive said that was their limit at that class, so if SF and WF moved up into that 40, someone would have to drop out, even without losing students. Is that your understanding as well?

Yes. But I think that WF was the largest school in 4A, 3 more students would have put them in 5A. SF was only 26 students shy of 5A. Timmonsville (which is closing and being absorbed into FS1) had about 150 students this year.

You guys there in Florence have the luxury of being able to be competitive, be it as 4A or 5A. Some schools, like Stall, don't. But they don't want to be 4A and have to absorb all of the travel related expenses for every sport, having to travel to Hilton Head, Bluffton, and May River. That amounts to a lot of fuel and wear & tare on equipment over the course of 2 school years considering that most sports are home and home, meaning trips to all of those schools for many different sports.

I know that Sumter is another school that faces a lot of travel. I will be curious as to how those top 36 shake out. And then who wants to be moved up, and or down.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Sumter. Voting for rezoning attendance lines will be coming soon for all 3 of the high schools in Sumter (SHS, Lakewood and Crestwood). Because of this the attendance at each school change drastically. Sumter High has about 2700 students and Lakewood and Crestwood both have about 1200. Since these schools all became 1 school district the Sumter area has never been rezoned.

Even out all the numbers so schools all go to 4A-like Florence did to have all of their schools in the same region and decent travel.

[bbrown1240]

Building utilization is a big thing with this rezoning. Don’t quote me on these numbers but they are aiming for around 70% at the high schools. Crestwood and Lakewood are just north of 50% and Sumter is around 75-80%. I believe Sumter would remain comfortably at 5A, but there is a chance Crestwood and Lakewood move up to 4A.