Published Dec 2, 2013
UIL announces major changes with cutoff numbers
C. W. Starr
TheOldCoach.com Columnist
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In an unprecedented move The University Interscholastic League, the governing body for academic, athletic, and music competition among Texas public schools, released the cutoff numbers to be used in the biennial realignment and redistricting process in February. Schools will now have a glimpse of where they may fall for the 2014-2016 realignment period.
The UIL has never released the cutoff numbers earlier than the day in February when new districts are announced during the biennial realignment year. Conference alignment is based on "Snapshot Day" enrollment numbers that were submitted on October 25th from each school district.
Today only the conference cutoff numbers were announced and districts will be revealed during the normal realignment announcement in early February.
The UIL has officially created a Class 6A conference and renamed six-man to Class 1A, meaning most schools will advance in classification even though their enrollment may not have changed considerably.
There has always been a wide chasm between the enrollments in each Classification and the UIL has now taken steps they believe will narrow that gap. The UIL, who originally announced the decision at Coaching School in July, made the changes in part so that six-man football would become Class 1A but has realized equity is more important because size does make a difference. The larger schools seem to have more success than schools with a smaller enrollment.
Another major shift takes place in Class 4A (currently 3A) where schools will make the move to the split-conference alignment already in place for the current Class 2A and 1A. This structure pre-determines the Divisions (large and small school divisions) and is divided into districts before beginning play during realignment.
There have been very few fundamental changes in the UIL conferences since it's foundation in 1910 and football became an official sport in 1920. The changes announced today could be considered the broadest ever by the UIL endorsing a move toward enhanced equality.
It was in 1948 when the UIL first created three separate conferences competing for state football titles and three years later an additional conference was added, all designated as 4A-1A. Not again until 1972 was the format changed when three conferences were added, Class B, 8-Man, and 6-Man. In February of 1980 Class 5A was created when Class B was designated as Class 1A with the other conferences bumped up accordingly.
Here are the Conference Cutoff numbers announced by the UIL for 2014-2015 & 2015-2016:
6A: 2100 and above
5A: 1060-2099
4A: 465-1059
3A: 220-464
2A: 105-219
1A: 104.9 and below
  • Conference Cutoff Numbers for the last realignment:
    • 2012-2013 & 2013-2014
    5A 2090 & up
    4A 1005 to 2089
    3A 450 to 1004
    2A 200 to 449
    1A 199 & below
    99.9 & below Enrollment cutoff for 6-man football
    NEWS AND NOTES ON CHANGES THAT WE ANTICIPATE:
  • Abilene High and Abilene Cooper will now be split into different classifications. Steve Warren's Abilene High's enrollment number of 2107 falls just inside the 2100 cutoff number for 6A. Cooper turned in 2044 and will stay in Class 5A
  • Highland Park (Dallas) will be part of the new 6A (basically the same as the old 5A). Highland Park turned in a snapshot enrollment number of 2,106 students
  • In the Valley, Mission Sharyland and Donna will both stay in 5A (Dropping from the state's largest current class) due to new high schools opening in their respective districts
  • Mel Maxfield's Amarillo High Sandies will move back in up classification (to 6A) after finding some success in the current Class 4A with their Wing-T offense
  • Some Greater Houston schools above the 2,100 cutoff that will be placed in Class 6A include current 4A schools Summer Creek, Northbrook, Friendswood, Reagan, Montgomery and Dawson
  • John Walsh's Denton Guyer Wildcats return to the state's largest class (6A) after two years in Class 4A
  • State powerhouses Bushland, Tatum and Godley will all move up to Class 4A D II to join Gilmer, Giddings and Wimberley
  • Both East Texas traditional powers Lufkin and Longview will stay down in the new 5A. And an interesting note to consider is that the old 5A District could return in East Texas minus Tyler Lee with Longview, Lufkin, Marshall, Nacogdoches and Tyler John Tyler
  • There is a large contingency of schools from East Texas that will also play in the second largest class including Hallsville, Jacksonville, Lindale, Mount Pleasant, Longview Pine Tree, Sulphur Springs, Texas High and Whitehouse
  • In Central Texas it appears that Bryan, Temple, A&M Consolidated, and San Marcos will all be in Class 5A
  • Current East Texas 3A schools that will play in the new 4A DI includes powerhouse Kilgore along with recent state champs Carthage, Chapel Hill, and Henderson
  • Jeff Traylor's Gilmer Buckeyes escape the District of Doom by one student and will be one of the largest schools in Class 4A DII
  • Navasota, Abilene Wylie, Brownwood, and Snyder will fall into 4A DI
  • Class 3A DI will include Daingerfield, New Boston, White Oak along with Rockdale, and Shallowater who are having great playoff runs in the current Class 3A
  • Jason Herring's state power the Refugio Bobcats appear to have landed in Class 2A DI along with Centerville dropping down
    • The district realignments will be released on February 3rd.
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