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NCHSAA realignment moves Burke County schools into nearby conferences; final map expected in mid-March
Summary
Burke County athletic director reported the NCHSAA moved from four to eight classifications based on Average Daily Membership; the district expects more local conference alignments for 2025-26, with final maps and appeals concluded in mid-March.
Athletic director Rogers (presenting) told the board the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s (NCHSAA) latest realignment moved from four classifications to eight, using average daily membership (ADM) to determine classifications for the 2025–26 cycle.
Rogers said the shift produced new classifications for Burke County high schools: Draughn (Dron) moved from 1A to 3A based on its ADM; East Burke moved from 2A to 4A; Freedom moved from 3A to 6A; and Patton moved from 2A to 3A. He said the change should reduce travel and instructional-time burdens by placing East Burke, Draughn and Patton in the same conference (a 3A/4A grouping) and putting Freedom into a nearby 6A/7A league with McDowell, Watauga and South Caldwell.
Rogers described the multi-step realignment process: ADM release on Nov. 18; three virtual and two in-person committee rounds; and three days of in-person reconsideration hearings where 67 schools presented appeals. He said a final realignment map would be released in mid-March and appeals resolved by the NCHSAA board of directors; the committees’ work is essentially complete.
Rogers told the board that, as of the committee’s draft, Burke County schools were placed in two conferences that better align local travel and competitive balance, and he said there were no appeals from the two conferences affecting Burke County at the time of his presentation.
The board received the report; no action was required.
