EAST LANSING — Michigan maintained its place national ranking for high school sports participation during the 2024-25 school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Despite ranking tenth in the high school-aged population, Michigan’s participation numbers for boys and girls sports continued to exceed expectations, ranking seventh and eighth, respectively.
Michigan’s participation in high school sports totaled 298,246 athletes, with students counted once for each sport they played. This reflects the state’s strong engagement in athletics despite its population ranking.
In specific sports, Michigan saw improvements in national rankings. Football participation, including all full-contact formats, rose to fifth nationally with 36,119 athletes. Girls’ track & field participation increased to sixth nationally with 18,108 athletes.
Several sports in Michigan continued to rank higher than the state’s population ranking. For girls, sports like tennis, bowling, golf, volleyball, and cross country all ranked in the top ten nationally. Boys’ sports such as bowling, ice hockey, tennis, and football also ranked higher than expected.
Michigan ranked third nationally for alpine skiing participation, a sport sponsored by only 12 states.
Nationally, high school sports participation exceeded 8 million athletes, with Texas and California leading in state participation numbers.
Eleven-player football remained the most popular boys’ sport, while outdoor track & field was the top girls’ sport.