THOMASTON — Multipliers and approximate classification sizes were discussed as the Georgia High School Association held its first meeting about reclassification Sept. 7.

Class 7A will disappear next year and the classifications will top out at 6A. Official minutes from the GHSA meeting stated that the league estimates there will be around 64 teams in 6A, 60 in Classes 5A-2A and 60 each in both divisions of Class A.

The proposed amount of schools placed in each class only reflects football-playing schools. “Non-football playing schools will NOT be counted when calculating the schools being placed in Class A,” stated the minutes. “They will be placed in appropriate regions later.”

If numbers from the 2022-24 classification cycle stay similar, that would mean the usual question of what to do with the handful of large schools in south Georgia. Lowndes, Camden County, Richmond Hill, Valdosta, Colquitt County, Houston County and Tift County all were within the top 64 in size using the GHSA’s numbers during the last reclassification.

Depending on how numbers go this cycle, Northside (Warner Robins) could potentially fall into the new 6A as the school was the 68th largest for 2022-24. Thomas County Central, whose placement in 6A this time was largely because of the multiplier, seems more likely to be a 5A school as was 76th largest in the state in the numbers used for 2022-24.

Veterans was 97th in size and Lee County was 103rd, likely knocking both down to 5A.

The multiplier that affected Thomas County Central in 2022 will stay and will also stay at 3.0 for out-of-district students.

Curt Miller made a motion in the GHSA meeting for it to stay at 3.0, according to the official minutes. After being seconded, it was unanimously approved. The meeting established that students who attend a feeder school of the high school in grades K-5 will be considered in-district.

Tift’s size has not changed much since the last classification cycle. The 2022-23 GHSA Constitution and By-Laws listed the system with 2,271 students, counting as 2,453 with the multiplier. Earlier this school year at a board meeting, Tift reported 2,228 as enrollment at TCHS.

The GHSA’s private schools and charter schools will be permitted to name beforehand what they consider to be their attendance zone “within their county of residence that best reflects their student population,” as stated in the minutes. Schools will be able to request playing in a higher classification than their initial placement.

What the GHSA will do with Region 1-6A remains to be seen. Eight schools south of Macon were in the top 70 in size from 2022-24. With the league aiming for 64 teams in the class, the eight is an ideal region size. However, travel time would be difficult.

Region 1-7A currently spans from Colquitt County to Richmond Hill, nearly 200 miles and roughly a 3.5-hour trip each way. Thomasville to Richmond Hill is even longer. A similar distance separates the Houston County schools and Camden County.

Because of the amount of Metro Atlanta schools, the GHSA would almost assuredly not create two regions for the southern half of the state. Subdivision remains a possibility, though with only three teams on the eastern side, there is the chance that Tift might land with Region 1-6A-E as the league would not likely split the Lowndes schools and Tifton is next closest in distance.

On the flip side, there also a shot of a few more schools from that side of the state adding enough students to reach the new 6A. From 2022-24, Brunswick, Effingham County and Grovetown all ranked 73rd-77th in size.