The Kentucky High School Athletic Association football scene will look different once again come 2027.
With populations in regions continuing to be fluent and the new 1.35 multiplier for private schools (will get to that in a bit), it’s created some change for the new football draft realignment for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
In a board meeting last year, the KHSAA Board of Control determined alignment will happen every two years for the foreseeable future, electing to shift from every for years like they did prior.
The enrollment figures for the newest alignment are based off the average number of boys enrolled in each respective school as reported by the Kentucky Department of Education second-month report (growth factor membership) for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Those enrollment numbers are listed on the KHSAA website here .
Now the 1.35 multiplier comes into play for the private schools. Each private school is calculated by the number of boys enrolled in the school and multiplied by 1.35. For example, Covington Catholic had 522 boys enrolled in the 2024-25 school year, the 1.35 multiplier would take that enrollment to 704 boys. In effect, it takes the Colonels from a 4A school to 5A in the new realignment (see the realignment districts below).
As far as how the classes work: the highest 32 enrollments are in 6A. For Class 1A, the amount of schools rises from 34 to 36 schools. The reasoning behind that is the request of coaches to minimalize or eliminate forfeits in postseason play. Last season for example, had three forfeits in 1A. For Class 2A and 3A, 38 schools are in the draft and 39 schools in 4A and 5A. A total of 32 teams in each class make the playoffs.
Listed below is the draft alignment, it will be finalized at the next KHSAA Board of Control meeting on May 5-6. Schools have from now until May 4 to withdraw consideration from district play or making other reclassification project comments. There is no opportunity to request to play in a higher or lower class. Any school that withdraws from their respective district for the new realignment will then be ineligible for postseason play until the 2029 season.
Some notes:
–1A, District 3 is basically the walkable district with Bellevue, Dayton, Holy Cross, NewCath and Newport all within walking distance of one another.
— Ludlow will be on an island in 1A, District 4 with Bracken County, Eminence and Trimble County. While it looks to be a much easier district on paper, they’ll be traveling a lot more.
— Bishop Brossart is proposed to move up to 2A, thanks to the 1.35 multiplier. They’ll join Beechwood, Walton-Verona, Owen County and Gallatin County while Bracken County moves back down to 1A.
–St. Henry will just be in their third year of varsity football existence come 2027 and are moving up a class from 2A to 3A. They’ll join Lloyd Memorial’s district, creating a neighborhood rivalry as the two schools are less than two miles apart. Rack up the mileage from there as Fleming County, Bath County and Pendleton County are also in the district.
— Well, it was a fun two years with Highlands and Covington Catholic being in the same district. Highlands stays put in the Class 4A, 7th District with Holmes, Harrison County, Mason County and Grant County. After electing out for the 2025 and ’26 seasons, Holmes can get back to postseason play in 2027 if they so choose.
— CovCath moves up to 5A thanks to the multiplier with Boone County, Cooper, Conner, Dixie Heights and Scott. But hey, no more Boyle County to worry about.
— Nothing changes for the 6A schools in NKY. Campbell County, Ryle and Simon Kenton are still with Great Crossing in the 6th District.
CLASS 1A
DISTRICT 1– Ballard Memorial, Crittenden County, Fulton County, Russellville
DISTRICT 2– Campbellsville, Caverna, Fort Knox, Holy Cross (Louisville), WEB DuBois
DISTRICT 3– Bellevue, Dayton, Holy Cross (Covington), Newport Central Catholic, Newport
DISTRICT 4– Bracken County, Eminence, Ludlow, Trimble County
DISTRICT 5– Berea, Frankfort, Nicholas County, Paris, Sayre
DISTRICT 6– Harlan, Lynn Camp, Middlesboro High School, Pineville, Williamsburg
DISTRICT 7– East Ridge, Hazard, Phelps, Pikeville
DISTRICT 8– Betsy Layne, Fairview, Paintsville, Raceland
CLASS 2A
DISTRICT 1– Caldwell County, Fort Campbell, Mayfield, Todd County Central, Trigg County
DISTRICT 2– Edmonson County, Hancock County, McLean County, Owensboro Catholic
DISTRICT 3– Clinton County, Green County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County, Somerset
DISTRICT 4– Bethlehem, Danville, Kentucky Country Day, Washington County, Western
DISTRICT 5– Beechwood, Bishop Brossart, Gallatin County, Owen County, Walton-Verona
DISTRICT 6– Jackson County, Lewis County, Morgan County, Powell County, West Carter
DISTRICT 7– Breathitt County, Magoffin County, Martin County, Prestonsburg
DISTRICT 8– Belfry, Knott County Central, Leslie County, Pike County Central, Shelby Valley
CLASS 3A
DISTRICT 1– Butler County, Murray, Union County, Webster County
DISTRICT 2– Adair County, Casey County, Glasgow, Hart County, McCreary Central
DISTRICT 3– Carroll County, Central, DeSales, Henry County, Shawnee
DISTRICT 4– Bardstown, Elizabethtown, LaRue County, Thomas Nelson
DISTRICT 5– Bourbon County, Estill County, Lexington Christian, Mercer County, Western Hills
DISTRICT 6– Bath County, Fleming County, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County, St. Henry
DISTRICT 7– East Carter, Floyd Central, Lawrence County, Russell
DISTRICT 8– Bell County, Clay County, Knox Central, Letcher County Central, Perry County Central, Rockcastle County
CLASS 4A
DISTRICT 1– Calloway County, Hopkins County Central, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Paducah Tilghman
DISTRICT 2– Allen County-Scottsville, Franklin-Simpson, Logan County, Ohio County, Warren East
DISTRICT 3– Breckinridge County, John Hardin, Marion County, Nelson County, Spencer County, Taylor County
DISTRICT 4– Christian Academy-Louisville, North Oldham, Shelby County, Valley, Waggener
DISTRICT 5– Boyle County, Garrard County, Lexington Catholic, Lincoln County
DISTRICT 6– Corbin, Harlan County, Russell County, Wayne County, Whitley County
DISTRICT 7– Grant County, Harrison County, Highlands, Holmes, Mason County
DISTRICT 8– Ashland Blazer, Boyd County, Greenup County, Johnson Central, Rowan County Senior High School
CLASS 5A
DISTRICT 1– Apollo, Graves County, Marshall County, Muhlenberg County, Owensboro
DISTRICT 2– Barren County, Bowling Green, Grayson County, Greenwood, Warren Central
DISTRICT 3– Bullitt Central, Butler, Doss, Iroquois, North Bullitt
DISTRICT 4– Atherton, Jeffersontown, Moore, Seneca, South Oldham
DISTRICT 5– Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights, Scott
DISTRICT 6– Anderson County, Collins, Franklin County, Scott County
DISTRICT 7– East Jessamine, Madison Southern, Montgomery County, West Jessamine, Woodford County
DISTRICT 8– North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern
CLASS 6A
DISTRICT 1– Christian County, Daviess County, Henderson County, McCracken County
DISTRICT 2– Central Hardin, Meade County, North Hardin, South Warren
DISTRICT 3– DuPont Manual, Fairdale, Pleasure Ridge Park, St. Xavier
DISTRICT 4– Bullitt East, Fern Creek, Male, Southern
DISTRICT 5– Ballard, Eastern, Oldham County, Trinity (Louisville)
DISTRICT 6– Campbell County, Great Crossing, Larry A Ryle High School, Simon Kenton
DISTRICT 7– Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Tates Creek
DISTRICT 8– Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, George Rogers Clark, Madison Central