SACRAMENTO – Education-based athletics participation in California has reached a historic all-time high, surpassing the previous record set in 2020, according to the latest California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Sports Participation Survey.
Participation increased by 1.8% since the 2024 survey, with 821,586 student-athletes competing in education-based athletic programs during the 2024-25 school year.
Overall, girls’ participation increased by 3.1% from the previous year, while boys’ participation increased by 0.8%. Most impressive was girls’ flag football with an 84% increase (19,921 participants) in its second season as a CIF-sanctioned sport, ranking seventh overall in girls’ sports participation.
“With more than 821,000 student-athletes participating in education-based athletics in California, it’s clear that the value of high school sports is stronger than ever,” states CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti. “The surge in girls’ flag football participation is particularly inspiring and reflects our commitment to expanding opportunities for all students to belong, connect, and compete through education-based programs.”
For girls, soccer remains the top sport with 47,918 participants, a 0.6% increase. Volleyball came in second (46,716), followed by track & field with 45,652 participants, a 2.0% increase. Softball (29,672) and basketball (28,544) rounded out the top five girls’ sports.
Football (11-player) continues to lead the top 10 boys’ sports and increased by 1.9% with 91,411 participants. Track & Field (58,457), a 2.4% increase, is the second most popular sport, followed by soccer (56,884), basketball (46,402), and baseball (42,972).
More than 1,600 CIF member schools participated in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) nationwide survey, which tracks student participation in sports across the country.
A chart indicating results from the last seven participation surveys follows, including a summary of the top 10 sports by gender, based on participation numbers. Only CIF-approved sports are listed individually.
2024-25 CIF Participation on Census
| SPORT | BOYS 2018 | BOYS 2019 | BOYS 2020 | BOYS 2022 | BOYS 2023 | BOYS 2024 | BOYS 2025 |
| Badminton | 3,964 | 3,830 | 4,100 | 3,925 | 3,931 | 4,268 | 4,702 |
| Baseball | 44,477 | 44,347 | 45,132 | 44,179 | 43,367 | 43,051 | 42,972 |
| Basketball | 47,584 | 48,111 | 47,675 | 47,091 | 45,836 | 46,883 | 46,402 |
| Cheer-Trad.Com. | 639 | 766 | 606 | 313 | 1,120 | 906 | 1,003 |
| Cheer-Com. Sport | 272 | 264 | 281 | 169 | 510 | 516 | 448 |
| Cross Country | 32,951 | 31,880 | 31,902 | 24,764 | 25,249 | 27,045 | 27,460 |
| Field Hockey | 0 | 150 | 38 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Flag Football | — | — | — | — | 1,099 | 760 | 689 |
| Football 11-player | 94,286 | 91,305 | 89,756 | 84,626 | 89,178 | 89,667 | 91,411 |
| Football 8-player | 2,088 | 2,068 | 2,264 | 2,232 | 2,611 | 2,539 | 2,558 |
| Golf | 10,672 | 11,023 | 10,579 | 10,945 | 10,860 | 11,755 | 12,300 |
| Gymnastics | 1 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 18 | 44 | 31 |
| Lacrosse | 9,684 | 10,189 | 10,669 | 9,844 | 9,949 | 10,259 | 10,060 |
| Skiing/Snowboarding | 503 | 576 | 511 | 605 | 636 | 596 | 604 |
| Soccer | 53,262 | 54,996 | 55,036 | 53,677 | 53,368 | 56,124 | 56,884 |
| Softball | 99 | 1,712 | 1,396 | 216 | 175 | 88 | 54 |
| Swimming & Diving | 22,872 | 21,822 | 22,214 | 18,902 | 17,840 | 18,461 | 18,051 |
| Tennis | 18,737 | 19,230 | 18,956 | 17,558 | 17,031 | 17,630 | 17,639 |
| Track and Field | 56,606 | 55,335 | 57,302 | 48,452 | 52,164 | 57,088 | 58,457 |
| Volleyball | 20,790 | 22,224 | 23,556 | 24,980 | 26,533 | 27,982 | 27,731 |
| Volleyball – Beach | — | — | — | 708 | 792 | 987 | 967 |
| Water Polo | 17,143 | 17,304 | 16,584 | 15,404 | 14,637 | 14,834 | 14,641 |
| Wrestling | 22,441 | 22,602 | 22,623 | 19,900 | 21,982 | 26,327 | 26,457 |
| Other** | 12,919 | 10,989 | 9,780 | 6,290 | 6,133 | 8,242 | 6,527 |
| Total | 459,171 | 459,739 | 461,187 | 428,493 | 438,894 | 457,810 | 461,521 |
**Note: As part of the NFHS survey, the CIF measures participation in all sports and activities. The above list does not comprise all sports/activities sponsored by schools and required in the NFHS survey.
Top 10 Boys Sports
Sport, Number of Participants, Increase or Decrease Since 2024
1. Football 91,411 +1.9%
2. Track & Field 58,457 +2.4%
3. Soccer 56,884 +1.4%
4. Basketball 46,402 -1.0%
5. Baseball 42,972 -0.2%
6. Volleyball 27,731 -0.9%
7. Cross Country 27,460 +1.5%
8. Wrestling 26,457 +0.5%
9. Swimming & Diving 18,051 -2.2%
10. Tennis 17,639 +0.1%
2024-25 CIF Participation for Girls Sports
| SPORT | GIRLS 2018 | GIRLS 2019 | GIRLS 2020 | GIRLS 2022 | GIRLS 2023 | GIRLS 2024 | GIRLS 2025 |
| Badminton | 5,302 | 5,026 | 5,311 | 4,701 | 4,696 | 5,518 | 5,474 |
| Baseball | 367 | 418 | 257 | 363 | 220 | 198 | 243 |
| Basketball | 34,631 | 35,902 | 34,368 | 30,142 | 29,007 | 28,950 | 28,544 |
| Cheer-Trad.Com. | 9,212 | 10,342 | 9,920 | 11,233 | 13,119 | 13,904 | 14,096 |
| Cheer-Com. Sport | 3,847 | 5,362 | 5,777 | 6,922 | 7,823 | 8,278 | 8,499 |
| Cross Country | 25,377 | 24,208 | 24,010 | 19,117 | 18,577 | 19,080 | 19,135 |
| Field Hockey | 3,692 | 4,058 | 4,097 | 3,937 | 3,579 | 3,567 | 3,677 |
| Flag Football | — | — | — | — | 689 | 10,832 | 19,921 |
| Football 11-player | 469 | 593 | 534 | 568 | 435 | 359 | 200 |
| Football 8 -player | 27 | 17 | 30 | 25 | 54 | 33 | 10 |
| Golf | 8,506 | 8,862 | 8,749 | 8,376 | 8,421 | 8,913 | 9,157 |
| Gymnastics | 760 | 772 | 744 | 530 | 579 | 540 | 490 |
| Lacrosse | 8,880 | 9,840 | 10,737 | 9,961 | 9,664 | 10,162 | 9,956 |
| Skiing/Snowboarding | 304 | 354 | 301 | 446 | 479 | 457 | 451 |
| Soccer | 47,186 | 49,342 | 48,647 | 47,044 | 45,544 | 47,631 | 47,918 |
| Softball | 33,400 | 32,233 | 32,502 | 30,338 | 29,483 | 29,930 | 29,672 |
| Swimming & Diving | 31,161 | 29,576 | 29,736 | 23,153 | 21,941 | 21,525 | 20,934 |
| Tennis | 23,428 | 23,546 | 23,910 | 21,742 | 21,124 | 21,864 | 22,865 |
| Track and Field | 46,327 | 45,235 | 45,318 | 38,399 | 40,434 | 44,774 | 45,652 |
| Volleyball | 45,139 | 45,997 | 46,495 | 45,534 | 45,429 | 46,851 | 46,716 |
| Volleyball – Beach | — | — | — | 2,923 | 4,457 | 5,323 | 5,662 |
| Water Polo | 16,085 | 16,568 | 16,237 | 14,081 | 12,821 | 12,559 | 11,968 |
| Wrestling | 5,286 | 6,014 | 6,446 | 5,578 | 6,398 | 7,921 | 8,825 |
| Other** | 35,383 | 36,152 | 34,655 | 21,239 | 30,882 | 33,847 | 38,193 |
| Total | 349,386 | 354,265 | 354,126 | 325,113 | 324,973 | 349,169 | 360,065 |
**Note: As part of the NFHS survey, the CIF measures participation in all sports and activities. The above list does not comprise all sports/activities sponsored by schools and required in the NFHS survey.
Top 10 Girls Sports
1. Soccer | 47,918 | +0.6% |
2. Volleyball | 46,716 | -0.3% |
3. Track & Field | 45,652 | +2.0% |
4. Softball | 29,672 | -0.9% |
5. Basketball | 28,544 | -1.4% |
6. Tennis | 22,865 | +4.6% |
7. Swimming & Diving | 20,934 | -2.7% |
8. Flag Football | 19,921 | +84.0% |
9. Cross Country | 19,135 | +0.3% |
10. Traditional Competitive Cheer | 14,096 | +1.4% |
