Ohio ranks third nationally for high school sports participation
COLUMBUS — With almost 350,000 high school student-athletes during the 2025-26 school year, Ohio ranks as the third-largest state for high school sports participation in the annual NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, trailing only Texas and California.
Ohio ranked in the Top 5 nationally in participation of most sports and is now the national leader in the number of high schools that have a team in three sports, including girls wrestling (525), girls bowling (505) and boys bowling (517). The continued growth of girls wrestling and girls flag football in Ohio and across the country helped lead to a national record for total high school student-athletes.
Ohio’s 347,994 total student-athletes last school year ranked third behind Texas (911,405) and California (859,022). Following Ohio were Illinois (326,756), Pennsylvania (315,647), New York (312,563), Florida (311,233) and Michigan (295,634).
The full NFHS survey is posted here.
“We are very proud that Ohio is among the national leaders in high school sports participation,” said OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute. “This is a tribute to the teams and programs that our member schools have built and the coaches who create those fun and educational opportunities for kids. The tradition of high school sports in Ohio is amazing and so many kids grow up waiting for their turn to play for their school.”
Ohio ranks seventh in the country in total population. There are currently 813 member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Among boys sports in Ohio, the top sports for participation include football (40,302), track and field (28,964), baseball (20,892), basketball (20,246) and soccer (17,540).
Top sports for Ohio girls participation include competitive spirit/cheerleading (26,635), track and field (23,739), volleyball (19,867), soccer (14,605), softball (13,977) and basketball (12,879).
About the NFHS
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities.
The NFHS writes playing rules for 18 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,900 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 8.2 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.