Editor’s note: The UIL released cutoff numbers Tuesday and it was discovered that Caldwell would be dropping to Class 3A. We have updated this story accordingly.
By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
The UIL released all the enrollments from UIL Snapshot Day last week, giving us a better look at the overall picture for the 2026–28 realignment and reclassification could reshape South Central Texas’ high school athletics.
The region is currently projected to have 20 schools fall within the Class 4A enrollment range, which was 545–1,314 students for the 2024–26 UIL cycle. The biggest projected changes include Smithville dropping to Class 3A, while new schools New Braunfels Long Creek and Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch are expected to move up to Class 5A.
While the four South Central Texas Class 4A districts are not expected to see dramatic changes, a few schools could shift slightly to fill the openings created by Smithville, Long Creek and Legacy Ranch.
Below are the Austin Sports Journal’s early projections for the new Class 4A districts for all sports other than football. Football projections will be addressed separately. These alignments are speculative, but projecting realignment is part of the fun.
One guiding rule always applies: the UIL keeps schools from the same school district together. That means:
- The two Comal ISD schools will stay together
- The four Austin ISD schools, along with Austin Achieve, will stay together
Here are the Austin Sports Journal’s early projections:
District 22-4A
Bellville (773)
Gonzales (744)
Giddings (583)
La Grange (607)
Taylor (968)
Navasota (941)
Our take: The lone change here is Taylor moving in from District 24-4A. Geographically, Taylor is a natural replacement for Smithville and shifts the Ducks slightly east. This district has traditionally been competitive across multiple sports, and the addition of Taylor only raises that level.
District 24-4A
Burnet (985)
Georgetown Gateway (499)
Lampasas (1,137)
Jarrell (1,147)
Salado (842)
Lago Vista (647)
Marble Falls (1,172)
Our take: The main change is Lago Vista returning after spending the last two years in District 25-4A. Lago Vista replaces Taylor to keep the district at seven teams. Since Georgetown Gateway does not compete in all sports, maintaining a seven-team district is necessary. Lago Vista is also a strong geographic fit.
District 25-4A
Austin Achieve (620)
Austin Eastside (594)
Austin LBJ (741)
Austin Northeast (961)
Austin Travis (942)
Manor New Tech (728)
Our take: With Legacy Ranch moving up to Class 5A and Smithville dropping to Class 3A, this Austin-area district is likely to remain a six-team alignment. The only potential variable would be how the San Antonio-area districts shake out, which could theoretically bring in Wimberley or Fredericksburg. At this point, that scenario appears unlikely.
District 26-4A
Wimberley (859)
Fredericksburg (1,017)
Comal Canyon Lake (1,049)
Comal Davenport (1,283)
Geronimo Navarro (785.5)
La Vernia (1,055)
Our take: Navarro moved to District 28-4A for the 2025–26 season to accommodate New Braunfels Long Creek fielding varsity teams in all sports except football. With Long Creek projected to move up to Class 5A, Navarro is expected to return to District 26-4A, likely bringing La Vernia with it to replace Bandera, which is not a strong geographic fit. If this alignment holds, District 26-4A would be one of the strongest volleyball districts in the state.
