David Rice | JTV Sports
April 9th, 2025
(4-9-2025, 4:00PM): Classifications for Michigan High School Athletic Association elections and postseason tournaments for the 2025-26 school year have been announced, with enrollment breaks for postseason tournaments posted to each sport’s page on the MHSAA Website.
Classifications for the upcoming school year are based on a second semester count date, which for MHSAA purposes was Feb. 12. The enrollment figure submitted for athletic classification purposes may be different from the count submitted for school aid purposes, as it does not include students ineligible for athletic competition because they reached their 19th birthday prior to Sept. 1 of the current school year and will not include alternative education students if none are allowed athletic eligibility by the local school district.
All sports’ tournaments are conducted with schools assigned to equal or nearly equal divisions, with lines dependent on how many schools participate in those respective sports.
Enrollment-based changes from the MHSAA are shifting the local football landscape for the upcoming season, as schools adjust divisions based on updated student population counts. Michigan Center will move up from Division 6 to Division 5, reflecting a modest increase in enrollment that places them among slightly larger programs. Lumen Christi, despite being eligible for a lower division based on numbers, has once again chosen to opt up to Division 6—a move consistent with their approach in recent years. Lumen Christi won the 2024 Division 6 Football championship and looks to make a run for a 4th straight title in 2025.
Napoleon is also on the rise enrollment-wise, moving from Division 7 to Division 6, joining a new group of similarly sized schools. Meanwhile, Lenawee-area football powerhouse Hudson sees a decrease in enrollment, prompting a shift down from Division 7 to Division 8. These annual adjustments, rooted in school size, aim to maintain competitive balance across the state as programs continue to evolve both on and off the field.
Napoleon was the only Jackson County school to move up a class (C to B) for 2025-26. Here are all of the area schools’ placements:
DIVISION 3: Jackson, Northwest
DIVISION 4: Parma Western
DIVISION 5: Michigan Center
DIVISION 6: Grass Lake, Brooklyn Columbia Central, Napoleon, Jackson Lumen Christi
DIVISION 7: Hanover Horton, Jonesville, Leslie
DIVISION 8: Addison, East Jackson, Homer, Vandercook Lake, Manchester
8-PLAYER: Concord
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