EAST LANSING — Dearborn Divine Child is the only Catholic League school affected by the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s enrollment classifications for the 2019-20 school year.
The Falcons will be competing in Class A after several years in Class B.
It’s purely a matter of mathematics.
The MHSAA determines classifications on the basis of a second semester count as of mid-February that schools submit. The 748 member schools are ranked with 187 schools in each of four divisions.
Divine Child’s submitted count was 878.
Effective with the 2019-20 school year, schools with 863 or more students are in Class A. The enrollment limits for Class B are 395-862, Class C is 189-394, and schools with enrollments of 188 and fewer are in Class D.
The threshold between Classes A and B decreased by 22 students from 2018-19; the threshold between Classes B and C decreased three students; and the threshold between Classes C and D is five students fewer than the current school year.
MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said schools may not subsequently lower their enrollment figure. However, if revised enrollment figures are higher and indicate that a school should be playing in a higher division, that school would be moved up.
Schools have the option to play at any higher division for a minimum of two years, but must exercise the option by May 1 for fall sports, Aug. 15 for winter sports and Oct. 15 for spring sports.
Only Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett — with 286 students — has opted to play at a higher division, in Division 1 for baseball.
Here’s how CHSL schools fit into MHSAA classifications for the 2019-20 school year based upon figures submitted by the schools. (Note: For classification purposes, enrollment figures for boys-only and girls-only schools are doubled by the MHSAA):
ALL BOYS SCHOOLS
CLASS A — Novi Detroit Catholic Central 1,012 (2,024); Detroit U-D Jesuit 734 (1,468); Warren De La Salle 702 (1,404); Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 564 (1,128); Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep 471 (942).
CLASS C — Detroit Loyola 136 (272).
ALL GIRLS SCHOOLS
CLASS A — Farmington Hills Mercy 686 (1,372); Bloomfield Hills Marian 451 (902).
CLASS B — Warren Regina 282 (564); Wixom St. Catherine 266 (532);
CLASS C — Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart 139 (278).
COED SCHOOLS
CLASS A — Dearborn Divine Child 878.
CLASS B — Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 811, Macomb Lutheran North 574, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 536.
CLASS C — Detroit Cristo Rey 329, Ann Arbor Greenhills 318, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 316, Riverview Gabriel Richard 313, Grosse Pointe University Liggett 286, Allen Park Cabrini 265, Royal Oak Shrine 249.
CLASS D — West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish 147, Marine City Cardinal Mooney 145, Clarkston Everest 121, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 100, Chesterfield Austin 81.
