Multi-Sport Participation Continues to Rise at Michigan High Schools, MHSAA Survey Finds

EAST LANSING, MI — December 16, 2025

By Jordan Clay | DVS Reporter

Multi-sport participation among Michigan high school athletes continued to rise during the 2024–25 school year, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s most recent Multi-Sport Participation Survey, released this week.

The seventh annual survey found that 45.4 percent of athletes at responding MHSAA member high schools competed in two or more sports, a 0.6 percent increase from the previous year. The results extend a steady upward trend since the study began following the 2017–18 school year, with overall multi-sport participation now up 2.6 percent statewide.

The survey was developed after recommendations from the MHSAA’s Task Force on Multi-Sport Participation, formed in 2016 to examine the impact of early sport specialization. The task force has consistently promoted multi-sport involvement as a way to reduce overuse injuries, burnout, and long-term health risks associated with year-round participation in a single sport.

Responses were received from 82.7 percent of MHSAA member high schools during the spring of 2025. Among those schools, 47.8 percent of male athletes and 42.3 percent of female athletes participated in multiple sports during the 2024–25 academic year.

Enrollment Size Continues to Play a Role

Smaller schools once again led the state in multi-sport participation. Class D schools reported the highest percentage at 63.1 percent, followed by Class C (59.6 percent), Class B (49.3 percent), and Class A (38.5 percent).

Each classification either increased or maintained participation from the previous year:

• Class A rose by 0.3 percent and is up 2.6 percent since the initial survey.

• Class B showed the largest year-over-year growth at 1.3 percent and is also up 2.6 percent overall.

• Class C increased by 0.2 percent and has climbed 4.4 percent since the study began.

• Class D remained steady from 2023–24 and has grown five percent over the last seven years.

Detroit-Area Schools Among State Leaders

Several Metro Detroit programs continued to rank among the state’s strongest supporters of multi-sport participation. Detroit Cody has appeared in the top 10 percent of its enrollment class six times since the survey began. Warren Michigan Collegiate has reached that mark five times, while Detroit Douglass has appeared four times.

For the 2024–25 school year, Detroit Cass Tech reported 61.4 percent multi-sport participation in Class A. Detroit Cody recorded 71.4 percent in Class B, while Detroit Douglass posted 87.8 percent in Class D.

Top Schools by Classification

Across the state, Grand Rapids Northview led Class A with 79.4 percent of athletes competing in multiple sports. Warren Michigan Collegiate topped Class B at 91.3 percent, Jackson Lumen Christi paced Class C at 97.6 percent, and Watervliet Grace Christian led Class D with 93.8 percent.

The MHSAA uses the survey both to track participation trends and to recognize schools that exceed participation norms within their enrollment classifications.

The full summary of the Multi-Sport Participation Survey is available on the MHSAA website.