COLUMBUS – Ohio ranks as the third-largest state for high school sports participation with almost 350,000 high school student-athletes during the 2025-26 school year, according to 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 at: https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/NFHSParticipationSurvey2025-26.pdf
“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).