(Fremont County, WY) – The Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) has passed a new reclassification motion for the second time which will now into effect in the 2024-25 school year.
Every two years, the WHSAA surveys how many students were projected to be in each school meaning that they could move up or down a class in athletics. The most recent example is Riverton moving up to 4A for soccer and Green River dropping to class 3A.
This will shake up based on how schools are placed and maybe settle down where schools are for a longer period of time. The new rule that is in place for classification is a harder cut-off. Eliminating each class needs a certain amount of schools to fill those classes. If a team passes a new threshold, they will join the new class without another school being affected by it. The association will still take gather projected student population numbers every two years.
Cutoff numbers for classification: (Note: The numbers are student population number thresholds)
- 4A: 700+
- 3A: 210-699
- 2A: 110-209
- 1A: 109 and below
With the last student average attendance numbers projections released before the recalcification for the 2022-23 and 2020-24 school years had margins that were noticeable. Green River would be the 15 biggest schools with over 770 students meaning they would be in 4A. Cody is next with 626 students.
This classification will affect all sports except football.
Some things that might be questioned could come in the 4A ranks where it has an odd number of schools at 15. This would affect regional tournaments guaranteed, but how it all would go together? Those are questions that can soon be answered.
Here is how Fremont County would be fair with the new change if the current student population numbers were used in the new format. This could be how it turns out under the new structure.
Riverton: They are the 14 biggest schools in the state of Wyoming from the recent average attendance and will be placed in 4A. The school was seeing their athletics going to 4A level with soccer flipping with Green River this season.
Lander: Lander Valley sees no change as they would remain in 3A. They will still be one of the biggest 3A schools in Wyoming behind Cody who would move back down into the 3A class.
Shoshoni: No change, remains in 2A.
Wind River: No change for Wind River. They would stay in 2A.
Wyoming Indian: No change for Chief Nation. Wyoming Indian is one of the biggest 2A schools in the state.
St. Stephens: They will go from 2A down to 1A. Their school population doesn’t reach the 110 threshold for the 2A classification.
Dubois: No change for Dubois. They will remain in Class 1A.
Listen to the conversation with the associate commissioner of the WHSAA Trevor Wilson about the new structure. He will be the new commissioner of the association in July.
How schools in the rest of Wyoming would be placed: (Note: The order of how teams are listed is based on the projected school population. Schools at the top have a higher student population, and school names at the bottom have a smaller student population.)
4A – 15 Schools
- Kelly Walsh
- Natrona
- Cheyenne East
- Rock Springs
- Cheyenne South
- Cheyenne Central
- Thunder Basin
- Campbell County
- Laramie
- Sheridan
- Star Valley
- Jackson Hole
- Evanston
- Riverton
- Green River
3A – 16 schools
- Cody
- Lander Valley
- Powell
- Douglas
- Rawlins
- Worland
- Buffalo
- Pinedale
- Torrington
- Wheatland
- Mountain View
- Newcastle
- Lyman
- Lovell
- Glenrock
- Thermopolis
2A – 14 Schools
- Moorcroft
- Kemmerer
- Burns
- Tongue River
- Wyoming Indian
- Big Piney
- Wright
- Big Horn
- Wind River
- Greybull
- Shoshoni
- Pine Bluffs
- Rocky Mountain
- Sundance
1A – 24 schools
- Lingle-Ft. Laramie
- St. Stephens
- Lusk
- Southeast
- Guernsey-Sunrise
- Burlington
- Saratoga
- Upton
- Riverside
- Cokeville
- Little Snake River
- Hanna Elk Mountain
- Hulett
- Midwest
- Farson-Eden
- Dubois
- Meeteetse
- Kaycee
- Encampment
- Ten Sleep
- Arvada Clearmont
- Rock River
- Glendo
- Chugwater
The current format has one year left and starting in the 2024-25 school year the new format will be in effect.