The South Carolina High School League released its finalized classification plan, with four Lexington County schools changing classes and one being placed for the first time. 

Gray Collegiate will jump two classifications from 2A to 4A, Irmo will be bumped to 5A from 4A, and Brookland-Cayce and Gilbert will go from 3A to 4A, according to a release from the SCHSL sent to the Chronicle. 

The new alignment will take effect during the 2024-25 school year. Schools who disagree with their placement have the opportunity to appeal and present their case. 

Realignment in the state happens every two years and is based on the 45-day enrollment total for grades 9-11. This year’s process drew much more attention than previous ones. 

These changes come off the heels of the SCHSL’s proposal to address competitive balance amongst public, private and charter schools. This is the first wave of realignment with the new 3.0x multiplier out-of-zone attendance multiplier in place. 

The multiplier is why schools like Gray are jumping multiple classifications. 

The total 8-12 enrollment at Gray is 870, according to a report by U.S. News and World Report. With the 3.0x multiplier applied to all out-of-zone students, the enrollment for 9-11 alone jumps to 1,296, which is the seventh highest in all of future 4A, according to the SCHSL release. 

American Leadership Academy is an at-large member of the SCHSL right now, meaning they have no region or class. The school was put into class 3A for next year and will have the highest enrollment of any 3A school, with 934 after the multiplier according to the league release. 

Irmo will move up, becoming the sixth 5A school in the county, joining the five schools that presently make up the Region 4 conference. The SCHSL Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee also recommended 5A be split and crown two champions in every sport.

Gilbert and Brookland-Cayce will go from 3A to 4A, joining Airport. Pelion, Batesburg-Leesville and Swansea all remain in their current classification.

The next step in the alignment process is the call for appeals from member schools who disagree with the league’s decision. The schools have until Jan. 9 to file an appeal, and the league’s executive committee will meet Jan. 18-19 to discuss it.

After this schools will be placed into regions based on location, followed by another appeal process for this.