High school sports participation reached an all-time high of 8.4 million student-athletes in 2025–26, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Girls flag football led the surge with a 49% increase, followed by girls wrestling at nearly 20%. Girls volleyball also surpassed 500,000 participants for the first time.
https://nfhs.org/data-and-statistics/high-school-sports-participation