Ohio ranked as one of the top states in the country for high school sports participation numbers for the 2025-26 school year.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released its data Wednesday, Sept. 9, showing Ohio had the third-most student-athletes across the country play at least one sport.
Ohio had 347,994 total athletes — 189,902 boys and 158,092 girls — play a sport. Texas, California, Illinois and Pennsylvania rounded out the top-5.
“We are very proud that Ohio is among the national leaders in high school sports participation,” said OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute in a statement. “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.”
The top boys sports for participation included football (40,302 athletes — 712 teams), track and field (28,964 — 795), baseball (20,892 — 777), basketball (20,246 — 800), and soccer (17,540 — 591)
The top girls sports for participation included competitive spirit/cheerleading (26,635 — 803), track and field (23,739 — 799), volleyball (19,867 — 800), soccer (14,605 — 565), and softball (13,977 — 758).
Ohio ranked first in participating teams in girls wrestling (525), boys bowling (517) and girls bowling (505).
Outside of Ohio High School Athletic Association sponsored sports, boys most participated in esports, rugby, and weightlifting.
Dance, rowing, and weightlifting were the most popular girls sports outside of the OHSAA.
Football was the most popular boys sport in the country. Outdoor track and field was most popular for girls.
Since data has been tracked dating back to 1971-72, a record number of participants were tracked in the 2025-26 school year with 8,415,684.
