By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
The UIL released all the enrollments from UIL Snapshot Day on Tuesday, giving us a better look at the overall picture for the The UIL released enrollments from Snapshot Day on Tuesday, offering the first clear look at how the 2026–28 realignment and reclassification could reshape Austin-area high school athletics.
The Austin area is projected to have 27 schools above the anticipated Class 6A cutoff of 2,225 students, up from its current 22. Those newcomers, Cedar Park, Leander, Rouse, East View, Comal Pieper and Hays, could give the region a fourth Class 6A district for the first time, up from the traditional three.
Movement around the area, including Temple’s projected jump to Class 6A, could dramatically alter the competitive landscape across Central Texas.
Below are the Austin Sports Journal’s early projections for the new Class 6A districts. These are speculative, but projecting realignment is part of the fun.
One guiding rule always applies: the UIL keeps schools from the same district together. That means:
- The five Round Rock ISD schools will remain together
- All five Leander ISD schools will remain together
- The three Austin ISD schools will remain together
- The two Hays ISD schools will remain together
- The two Comal ISD schools will remain together
That leaves one-district schools such as Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Westlake, Hutto and East View vulnerable, which could signal the end of several traditional district alignments.
Here are the Austin Sports Journal’s early projections:
District 15-6A
Round Rock (3,899)
Westwood (2,856)
Cedar Ridge (2,789)
McNeil (2,706)
Stony Point (2,419)
Hutto (3,314)
East View (2,321)
Copperas Cove (2,307)
Temple (2,436.5)
Our take: This district could go several directions, but the Round Rock ISD schools were once part of Region II, and that alignment could return with Temple’s projection to jump from Class 5A to 6A. The major outlier is Waco Midway, which could shift north toward Waxahachie or east toward Bryan-College Station. Geographically, it makes more sense to place Temple and Copperas Cove with Round Rock ISD, East View and Hutto.
District 25-6A
Cedar Park (2,304)
Cedar Park Vista Ridge (2,496)
Leander (2,263)
Leander Rouse (2,460)
Vandegrift (2,361)
Lake Travis (3,428)
Westlake (2,899)
Our take: This is the most geographically sound of the projected districts. The five Leander ISD schools would remain together, filling five spots. This district could go one of two ways, either as projected here or with Lake Travis and Westlake swapping out for the three Austin ISD schools. We believe this alignment is more likely because Bowie and Akins fit more naturally with the Hays ISD schools to the south.
District 26-6A
Austin High (2,299)
Austin Bowie (2,872)
Austin Akins (2,364)
Del Valle (3,782)
Dripping Springs (2,626)
Hays (2,334)
Buda Johnson (2.976)
San Marcos (2,333)
Our take: With two Hays ISD schools and three Austin ISD schools all located south of the river, this district falls into place naturally. Adding Del Valle, Dripping Springs and San Marcos completes a geographically clean grouping. Westlake is the only real outlier that could be swapped with Dripping Springs, but since Dripping Springs is in Hays County, this alignment appears more likely.
District 29-6A
Comal Pieper (2,253)
Comal Canyon (2,568)
San Antonio Wagner (2,294.5)
Converse Judson (2,482.5)
Cibolo Steele (2,886)
Schertz Clemens (2,651)
San Antonio East Central (3,579)
Our take: Geographically, this district fits cleanly. The two Comal ISD schools, two Judson ISD schools and two Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD schools align naturally. Adding San Antonio East Central, a one-school district that has traditionally competed in this grouping, completes the district logically.
