Boosted by continued growth in several girls sports, participation in high school sports increased for the 23rd consecutive year in 2011-12, according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Based on figures from the 51 NFHS-member state high school athletic/activity associations, which includes the District of Columbia, sports participation for the 2011-12 school year reached an all-time high of 7,692,520 participants - an increase of 24,565 from the previous year.
"In this time of ever-increasing financial challenges in our nation's high schools, we are greatly encouraged to know that participation in high school sports continues to rise," said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. "With more than 55 percent of students enrolled in high schools participating in athletics, the value of these programs in an education-based setting continues to be significant."
Lacrosse, which ranks No. 11 in participation among boys sports, topped the 100,000 mark (100,641) with about 5,000 additional participants. Wrestling continued its rise in popularity among girls, with almost 1,000 additional participants up to 8,235.
Participants by state stayed true to last year's order, as Texas and California once again topped the list with 808,806 and 781,912, respectively, followed by New York (389,475), Illinois (346,896), Ohio (333,349), Pennsylvania (317,869), Michigan (308,080), New Jersey (259,219), Florida (257,282) and Minnesota (238,363). Twenty states registered increases in participation in 2011-12.
The participation survey has been compiled since 1971 by the NFHS through numbers it receives from its member associations. The complete 2011-12 High School Athletics Participation Survey is available on the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org [1].
Source: National Federation of State High School Associations
Posted August 25, 2012
Links:
[1] http://www.nfhs.org