Average daily membership (ADMs) still a
key, but State Cup points enter equation
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) released an 11-minute video (https://www.nchsaa.org/schools/schools-main-page/conferences/realignment-information) on Tuesday that details work being done on the next statewide realignment.
The next realignment will be for the school years of 2021-2025 and starts on Aug. 1, 2021.
The NCHSAA board of directors has approved a three-prong approach to where schools will be placed, a change from previous realignments.
Traditionally, realignment’s biggest factor was a school’s average daily membership (ADM) and geography only.
This time, a school’s State Cup points (three-year average, starting with 2017-2018) and an ISP (Identified Student Percentage) score will also be a factor. ISP is the percentage of students attending a school that receive government spending (i.e., free meals, etc.).
In the new format, a school’s ADM, State Cup and ISP figures will be each multiplied and the three scores added to determine a final realignment score.
The video said ADMs from November 2019 will be used in this realignment, which has been delayed by COVID-19.
State Cup points are awarded annually and include five points for each varsity sport offered and points for top eight finishes in state tournaments.
In another change, the state will be divided East and West with 55 counties in the East (209 schools) and 45 counties in the West (216 schools).
Schools will be classified and placed in conferences based on being in the East or West on a map, and the NCHSAA staff will do the first draft.
The first draft will be released on Dec. 10.
The NCHSAA plans on having a 25-25-25-25 split and that will mean 54 schools each in 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A.
The split in the East will be 52 schools each in 2A, 3A and 4A and 53 in 1A.
