Pearl High School to Compete in Class 6A for 2027

Pearl High School will compete in Class 6A for the 2027-29 academic years, the Mississippi High School Activities Association announced on Monday. The Pirates drop one tier from the Class 7A division they occupied during the 2025-27 cycle. The reclassification is based on an adjusted enrollment figure of 864 students reported by the school.

MHSAA sorts schools into seven classifications, ranging from 1A to 7A, based on adjusted enrollment. Schools with higher enrollment compete in the 7A class, while those with lower enrollment compete in the 1A class. Under association rules, schools that tie at a specific enrollment boundary are all placed in the higher classification. This policy can result in a division exceeding its target number of schools.

Pearl will now share the 6A classification with 23 other schools. These include Terry, South Panola, Hancock, George County, Center Hill, Warren Central, Pascagoula, Hattiesburg, Jim Hill, Ridgeland, Canton, and Callaway. The Pirates will no longer face 7A schools such as Tupelo, Clinton, Madison Central, Brandon, Northwest Rankin, and Oak Grove in league or playoff play.

Statewide, 26 schools changed classifications for the new cycle. No school moved more than one division up or down. Seventeen schools moved to a lower class, while nine schools moved to a higher class. Among the schools moving up, Cleveland Central shifted from 5A to 6A, and Greenwood moved from 4A to 5A. Schools moving down include Neshoba Central and Greenville, both of which dropped from 6A to 5A.

Class 1A saw the largest change in team count. The division grew from 35 schools in the previous cycle to 48 schools for 2027-29. This is the only classification that exceeds its 40-school target. The increase resulted from multiple schools tying at the enrollment boundary, which placed them all in the higher class per MHSAA policy.

The full 2027-29 classification lists include 24 schools each in the 7A, 6A, and 5A divisions. The 4A and 3A divisions each contain 40 schools. Class 2A also holds 40 schools. Class 1A contains 48 schools. The new classifications take effect for the 2027-29 competitive season.