GHSA Releases New Classifications

Stephens County will remain in AAAA under new classifications released this week by the Georgia High School Association.

The GHSA released its proposed seven classifications on Wednesday that will take effect with the 2016-2017 school year.

This year, the GHSA added a new classification, 7A, for the largest schools in the state.

Under the numbers released this week by the GHSA, Stephens County High School had an FTE count of 1158.

That placed Stephens County in the bottom half of 54 or so schools in the AAAA classification.

However, the region the Indians play in next year may look a lot different as teams in the current Region 8-AAAA are scattering.

Madison County, Johnson of Gainesville, and Buford are all moving up to the 5A classification next year.

Buford, whose FTE count would have fallen in AAAA, is moving up due to a new GHSA rule that requires schools with three percent or more of its students coming from outside the school’s home county to move up one classification.

That same rule affects Jefferson, who will jump into AAAA from AAA, and Riverside Military Academy, who will jump to AAAA after being in AA the last two years.

Also moving up from AAA to AAAA are East Hall, West Hall and Oconee County.

Meanwhile, some Region 8-AAAA schools are headed down as Monroe Area and North Hall fell to AAA.

Chestatee, White County, and North Oconee are current Region 8-AAAA schools that are staying in AAAA with Stephens County.

Looking at other schools in the area, Franklin County and Hart County will stay in AAA, Elbert County will be in AA, and Habersham Central will be in the new 6A, but with smaller schools after the new highest classification was added.

Schools have now have a couple of weeks to ask the GHSA to play in a different classification before an initial region alignment is released on December 1.