How do other states handle Public vs Private in HS football?

In Missouri, everyone is part of the same state association. Private schools numbers are doubled (or some other formula) for classifications.

That is pretty much it. Everyone plays everyone.

For example: Rockhurst HS (private boys HS in KC) has around 1000 students. Normally, that would put them in Class 4 (out of 6). But since they are private, their numbers are doubled. Then they become Class 6 for competition.

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Do they double the number for a co-ed private school too?

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Yep. Double single sex privates...and just looked it up 1.35 multiplier for private schools.

So if you are a single sex, you double, then add 1.35 multiplier.

Co-ed private has 1.35 multiplier after doubling as well

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Do they double the number for a co-ed private school too? because they would have half as many boys. Interesting.

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yes, which screws over some of the smaller, religious, co-ed schools.

They had to put in the multiplier, especially when you have 1 school, who literally recruits kids from 2 states to go there(Rockhurst)

Tennessee, to the best of my memory and keeping up with this thing since playing, works like this.

There is one HS athletic body in the state (TSSAA) and the vast majority (95%+) compete in what is known as DI. DI includes all of Tennessee's public schools and a portion of its private ones. DI is grouped A through 3A in non-football sports by enrollment and region. Football is grouped A through 6A. Private schools that offer athletic scholarships get a multiplier applied to their enrollment.

DII is much smaller and consists of private schools primarily (if not entirely) from the metro areas of Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. They are divided into A and 2A for all sports by enrollment.

My HS is private and did not offer athletic schollies and competed in DI in an A region during my time there. They have since moved to DII to be with other private schools in the Memphis and Jackson area. The Jackson private schools were all DI at the time but now I think all of them have moved to DII with us.

I could be wrong, but that's the nuts and bolts of it.

Edit. I am wrong. DI schools that charge tuition must not offer scholarships of any kind. Those that do must be in DII. Private schools in DI still get a multiplier.

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(6 classes)

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There's 7 classes now. The upcoming season will be the third year with class 7A

Texas they are completely separate leagues and classifications. Strake Jesuit and Dallas Jesuit play in the highest public class (6A formerly 5A) but they are exceptions.

I don't remember the original story around them joining, I know Strake was indepedent for a bit. They are the only two privates that play with public schools though and both are pretty competitive.


A lot of public schools play the larger private schools out of district, especially in basketball and baseball.

In Georgia, the stark contrast isn't so much private vs. public as it is city vs. county schools. City schools here are allowed to admit out of district students if they pay tuition and of course the city schools offer scholarships to out of district athletes. This results in the city schools basically acting as private schools with even larger resources and alumni base. The city schools in the larger counties dominate because they are basically fielding county all star teams pulling from the surrounding county schools.

There are a few private schools that do well in the smaller classifications, but for the most part high school athletics, especially football and basketball, are dominated by city schools.

And as a result yall dont have the best football possible... I get private schools have to attract kids, but public doesn't. They can just draw a line and get every kid in it. If they don't have enough money, they just hit up taxpayers like you and me for more

Further in Ohio, there are 7 divisions all based on number of boys per HS, with the largest being Div 1. Each division is broken up into 4 regions, with the top 8 teams making the playoffs based on total computer points (about 1/3 of the teams the state). All publics and privates compete vs each other in all divisions and all sports. Competitive balance is supposed to help even it out in 2017, but all it will do is bump smaller private schools up to larger divisions. Since 2000, publics have only won the D1 title 4 times (Upper Arlington - 2000, Cincinnati Colerain - 2004, Hilliard Davidson - 2006 & 2009). The rest have been won by Cincy and Cleveland private schools.