The Louisiana High School Athletic Association released the preliminary 2024-2026 reclassification numbers on Tuesday, and six area schools — Iowa, Washington-Marion, Kinder, Grand Lake, East Beauregard and Fairview — could be on the move.

Schools have until noon on Oct. 31 to appeal their classification or submit their intention to play up in class. That meeting will convene on Nov. 2.

Depending on how many appeals are approved and schools choose to play up, the final class breakdowns could change.

Iowa High School, coming off one of its most successful years for boys sports — semifinals in football and basketball, plus a state championship in baseball — is expected to make the jump from Class 3A to 4A. That could put the Yellow Jackets in District 3-4A with LaGrange, Leesville, DeRidder, Eunice and Rayne, making it a six-team district.

Iowa’s student population dropped by one to 617 since the last reclassification numbers were released in October 2021 but is currently grouped in Class 4A because of the shift in cutoffs between classes to keep them nearly equal.

Washington-Marion (572) gained 50 students since the 2021 count but is currently grouped in Class 3A. The Charging Indians have spent the last five school years in Class 4A. They briefly dropped down to 3A in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.

After two years playing in Class 3A, Kinder could be headed back to 2A, while Grand Lake is expected to return to 1A from 2A.

Kinder reached the state final (2020) and regional round (2021) in its last two years in Class 2A but has struggled since moving up to 3A, going 2-7 in 2022 and starting the 2023 season 3-0 before losing its last four games.

“If that is where the numbers put us, that is where we will go,” Kinder Athletic Director and head football coach Justin Reed said. “It will put us back in the district that we are familiar with and played more than the teams that we have played the last couple of years.

“I would have to look at the schedule to see if it would be an advantage or disadvantage.”

Kinder would be the fourth-largest school in Class 2A, but since it is so close to the cutoff between 2A and 3A, that could change.

“I don’t really know how much that changes,” Reed said. “If you are not the one or two schools on the edge, then a lot of times that change doesn’t affect you much. I don’t know that for sure.”

With current Class 1A member East Beauregard expected to become the seventh-smallest school in Class 2A, the Trojans and Hornets will likely trade spots in their respective districts. Grand Lake would once again be grouped with Hamilton Christian, Basile, Oberlin, Merryville and Gueydan in District 5-1A. Grand Lake reached the 2020 Class 1A state championship game.

East Beauregard would join DeQuincy, Vinton, Welsh, Lake Arthur, Notre Dame and likely Kinder in District 5-2A.

Fairview gained 18 students over the October 2021 numbers to 124 and would move to Class B. Classification hasn’t hampered the Panthers as their girls basketball team is the most successful in the state with 14 state championships between Classes B and C. The Panthers were the runner-up in nonselect Division V last season. The last time they were in Class B, the Panthers won three consecutive state championships from 2020-2022.

Fairview would be the fifth smallest Class B school.

District 3-3A would be the most affected district in Southwest Louisiana, likely losing Kinder to Class 2A and Iowa to Class 4A, leaving five teams — St. Louis Catholic, Lake Charles College Prep, South Beauregard, Jennings and Westlake — unless district realignments shift some teams around, which would happen after the final reclassification numbers are approved.

Lake Charles College Prep (plus-75, 601), Barbe (plus-67, 1,970) and Washington-Marion (plus-50, 572) saw the largest gains in students, while Sam Houston (minus-67, 1,137), LaGrange (minus-50, 813) and Vinton (minus-25, 276) saw the greatest decreases among area schools.

Largest and smallest schools in each classification:

LHSAA RECLASSIFICATION NUMBERS

Class 5A

Largest — Dutchtown (2,613)

Smallest — Neville (1,033)

Class 4A

Largest — St. Augustine (1,030)

Smallest — Eunice (608)

Class 3A

Largest — West Feliciana (602)

Smallest — Vidalis (397)

Class 2A

Largest — Sarah T. Reed (391)

Smallest — East Feliciana (231)

Class 1A

Largest — Ascension Episcopal (230)

Smallest — St. Therese Academy (65)

Class B

Largest — Bell City (228)

Smallest — Elizabeth (111)

Class C

Largest — Ebarb, Northside Christian, Plainview (109)

Smallest — Central-Jonesville (26)

Area Teams by Class

Class 5A — Barbe (1,970), Sulphur (1,897), Sam Houston (1,137).

Class 4A — LaGrange (813), Leesville (755), DeRidder (644), Iowa (617), Washington-Marion (572).

Class 3A — Lake Charles College Prep (601), Jennings (545), South Beauregard (540), St. Louis Catholic (482), Westlake, (465).

Class 2A — Rosepine (349), Oakdale (312), DeQuincy (288), Vinton (276), Lake Arthur (255), East Beauregard (244), Pickering (237).

Class 1A — Grand Lake (227), Basile (221), Elton (159), Oberlin (149), Merryville (147), Hamilton Christian (94).

Class B — Bell City (228), Lacassine (219), Hathaway (184), Pitkin (129), Fairview (124).

Class C — Singer (97), Starks (97), Reeves (86), Hackberry (76), South Cameron (65), Johnson Bayou (28).

Source: Louisiana High School Athletic

Association