Participation in Michigan High School Athletic Association-sponsored sports increased for the third consecutive year in the 2023-24 school year — this time by nearly one percent — and continued despite a further two percent decline in enrollment at the MHSAA’s 754 member high schools.

A total of 270,664 participants were counted in the 28 sports for which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments — a 0.97 percent increase from 2022-23 and despite a 1.8 percent decline in enrollment at MHSAA member schools. Boys’ participation increased 1.1 percent to 158,260, although boys’ enrollment decreased 1.8 percent. Girls’ participation increased 0.7 percent to 112,377, while girls’ enrollment decreased 1.9 percent from the previous year.

MHSAA participation numbers count students once for each sport they participate in, meaning students who play multiple sports are counted more than once. The boys’ total for 2023-24 was the highest since 2018-19, ahead of the sharp decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020-21 school year.

Only 11 sports saw an increase in participation in 2023-24 – compared to 18 sports that saw an increase between 2021-22 and 2022-23. However, two sports set participation records last school year. Girls’ golf featured 3,936 athletes, a 6.2 percent increase from the previous year and the highest number of participants for the sport since 2002-03. Girls’ lacrosse broke its record set in 2019-20 with 3,245 athletes, nine-tenths of a percent more than the previous year.

Wrestling saw the largest increase in participation for the second school year in a row, this time up 12.8 percent with 11,814 athletes – and the increase is again largely due to the rapidly growing number of girls, who increased another 39 percent last season with 1,216 wrestlers. The next largest increase in participation was in girls’ tennis, with a 9.1 percent increase with 8,911 athletes, the highest number for the sport since 2018-19.

For both girls and boys, athletics saw an increase for the third year in a row, with girls up 5.2 percent to 17,325 participants and boys up 2.9 percent to 23,888. Lacrosse (up 3.9 percent to 5,236 athletes) and golf (up 3.3 percent to 7,222) also saw an upward trend, alongside girls.

There were also increases in boys soccer (up 5.1 percent to 13,953 athletes), girls cheerleading (up 3.9 percent to 6,172) and football (11 and 8 combined — up 0.5 percent to 35,174). Football remains the most played sport statewide, with more than 11,000 more athletes than the next highest, boys track and field, and the total number of football participants in 2023-24 was the highest in the sport since 2018-19. Boys basketball (20,199 participants), girls volleyball (19,119) and girls track and field ranked third through fifth among the state’s most played sports last school year.

Although 17 sports saw lower participation in 2023-24 than the previous year, the declines in five were smaller than the overall enrollment decline at member schools of 1.8 percent – boys’ ice hockey (-0.03 percent with just one fewer participant than in 2022-23), girls’ soccer (-0.3 percent), girls’ volleyball (-0.8 percent), boys’ tennis (-1.2 percent), boys’ cross country (-1.3 percent) and girls’ softball (-1.5 percent). Girls’ cross country narrowly missed that mark with a decline of just 1.9 percent from the previous year.

Participation numbers are collected annually by MHSAA member schools and submitted to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which produces its national participation survey. The results of Michigan’s surveys from the 2000-01 school year to the present can be viewed on the MHSAA website – www.mhsaa.com – by clicking on Schools > Administrators > Sports Participation Listings.

The attached table shows the participation numbers of MHSAA member schools for the 2023–24 school year for sports in which the association sponsors a postseason tournament.

The MHSAA is a private, nonprofit association with volunteer members from more than 1,500 public and private high schools and middle schools whose goal is to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. The MHSAA receives no state or taxpayer funding and was the first association of its kind nationally to not collect membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools that enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.