Cheer camp statistics show a wide range of formats, from one-day youth sessions to three-day home camps and college overnight programs. The figures below cover participation, supervision, deposits, camp prices, training content, and paid-bid thresholds from named cheer organizations and handbooks.
Contents
- Participation in competitive spirit
- Supervision, deposits, and payment deadlines
- NCA home camp formats and prices
- UCA youth and fall camp pricing
- Choreography and stunt training
- Paid-bid eligibility thresholds
Participation in competitive spirit
The 2024-25 NFHS Handbook, as listed by Varsity Spirit, reports 1,074 boys and 5,128 girls in Competitive Spirit. The same handbook lists 7,827 schools with girls Competitive Spirit participation and 186,151 combined Competitive Spirit participants. These are handbook figures for the 2024-25 period; the combined total is broader than the two gender-specific participant counts listed alongside it.
The NFHS 2025 spirit rules article describes spirit as the eighth-most popular girls sport, with 181,023 participants in 7,827 schools nationwide. This is a separate reported total from the 186,151 combined participant figure in the Varsity Spirit listing. Keeping the figures separate matters because the sources use different descriptions and participant scopes.
For camp planning, the reported school count gives context for the potential organization base, while the participant totals describe the scale of the activity. Neither source gives a camp attendance total, so these figures should not be read as the number of campers at a particular event.
Supervision, deposits, and payment deadlines
Varsity Spirit’s Camp Terms and Conditions 2025 specifies a 1:10 authorized adult-to-participant ratio for overnight camps. All authorized adults must be at least 21 years old. The same 1:10 ratio applies outside instructional camp hours, including commuting, dining, accommodations, and open practice.
The terms also require at least 2 authorized adults for teams with more than 30 participants during instructional camp hours. Day camps require an Adult in Charge who is at least 21 years old and remains with participants at all times. These are operational requirements stated by Varsity Spirit, not estimates of typical staffing at every cheer camp.
The deposit and payment figures in the same 2025 terms differ by program type:
| Camp or clinic type | Deposit | Full payment due |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight camp | $100 per person | 45 days before camp start |
| Day/Home camp | $50 per person | 45 days before camp start |
| Clinic | 50% of the fee | 14 days before clinic start |
The deadlines are measured backward from the relevant camp or clinic start date. The clinic deposit is expressed as a percentage rather than a fixed dollar amount, so its value depends on the clinic fee.
These numbers help separate three planning questions: how many adults are required, how much must be paid at registration, and when the remaining balance is due. A team considering an overnight format must account for the ratio during both instructional and non-instructional periods, while a day camp has a specific Adult in Charge requirement.
NCA home camp formats and prices
NCA Home Camps require 3 preferred dates when a team registers with the State Director. Registration also requires the number of athletes and the number of coaches attending. The available formats are 2-day and 3-day camps.
NCA College Cheer Camps lists the following Home Camp prices:
| Format | 1–9 participants | 10 or more participants |
|---|---|---|
| Home Camp, 2 days | $2,290 flat rate | $229 per participant |
| Home Camp, 3 days | $2,700 flat rate | $270 per participant |
| Elite Home Camp, 2 days | $2,680 flat rate | $268 per participant |
| Elite Home Camp, 3 days | $3,050 flat rate | $305 per participant |
The table shows that NCA publishes a flat rate for teams with 1 to 9 participants and a per-participant rate beginning at 10 participants. The listed 2-day Home Camp price is $229 per participant at the larger group threshold, while the 3-day price is $270 per participant. Elite Home Camp is listed at $268 per participant for 2 days and $305 per participant for 3 days when attendance reaches 10 or more.
NCA Home Camps can be customized with one-on-one coaching, stunt work, cheers, dances, or material from home. The Home Camps source lists 4 available evaluations, depending on team needs, and allows up to 10 chants to be taught. It also includes 2 jump classes and stunt classes at 4 levels: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced/Elite.
NCA College Cheer Camps also states that Elite Home Camps include a Bronze Paid Bid to Nationals. That benefit is attached to the listed Elite Home Camp offering and should be kept distinct from the paid-bid thresholds for competition segments described below.
UCA youth and fall camp pricing
UCA Youth Cheer Camp offers 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day options. For groups of 25 or more participants, the listed per-person prices are $53 for 1 day, $89 for 2 days, and $125 for 3 days. For groups of 1 to 24 participants, the corresponding flat rates are $1,313, $2,231, and $3,124.
| UCA Youth Cheer Camp format | 1–24 participants | 25 or more participants |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | $1,313 flat rate | $53 per person |
| 2 days | $2,231 flat rate | $89 per person |
| 3 days | $3,124 flat rate | $125 per person |
UCA Fall Camps lists two-day and three-day Build Your Own Camps and Stunt Camps. Build Your Own Camps cost $1,970 flat rate for 1 to 9 participants or $197 per participant for 10 or more over 2 days. The 3-day prices are $2,390 flat rate or $239 per participant. Stunt Camps cost $2,070 flat rate or $207 per participant for 2 days, and $2,520 flat rate or $252 per participant for 3 days.
The UCA Fall Camps figures therefore cover four group-size and duration combinations for each of two camp types. They are listed separately from UCA Youth Cheer Camp, which uses a 1-to-24 small-group band and a 25-or-more larger-group band.
Choreography and stunt training
UCA Routine Choreography is listed at a $4,126 flat rate, or $3,586 member pricing, for a 2-day camp. The 3-day prices are $5,314 flat rate and $4,774 member pricing. The program includes competition routines fitting a 2:00 to 2:30 time frame, plus halftime and pep rally routines exceeding 1:30 in length.
UCA Sectional Routine Choreography is a 1-day camp priced at $2,160 flat rate or $2,036 member pricing. Its halftime and pep rally routines fit a 45-second to 1:30 time frame. UCA Choreography Clean Ups are priced by instruction time at a team’s facility:
- 3 hours: $611
- 4 hours: $729
- 6 hours: $1,226
UCA Home Stunt Camp includes a stunt and pyramid curriculum from beginner to elite, with transitions, inversions, and dismounts. It also includes a Safety Awareness Test, Spotting Seminar, and Stunt Qualification. The program teaches the Camp Routine and All-American Cheer for use at camp and games, and includes FNL Frenzy and Game Day Jams.
For coaches, UCA Home Stunt Camp includes a Game Day Playbook and the Varsity University Coaches’ Education Course. The UCA Youth Cheer Camp source states that 100% of staff are USA Cheer safety certified. UCA also offers 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day youth sample schedules for the Home Stunt Camp format.
Paid-bid eligibility thresholds
NCA Cheer Bid Distribution uses attendance and team-count thresholds for several bid categories. At NCA College Overnight Camp, the overnight crowd-segment Gold Paid Bid starts at 13 registered attendees. If the winning team has 10 to 12 registered attendees, it receives a Silver Paid Bid instead. Teams with fewer than 8 registered attendees are ineligible for a paid bid in that segment.
The Most Improved award at NCA College Overnight Camp requires at least 8 participating teams. The winning team must also have at least 10 registered attendees to be eligible for the bid. Best All-Around awards use the number of participating cheer teams: camps with 8 or more teams give 1 Gold Paid Bid, while camps with 4 to 7 teams give 1 Silver Paid Bid. For Best All-Around, a team with 10 to 12 registered attendees receives Silver if it otherwise would have earned Gold.
| NCA College Overnight condition | Reported threshold or award |
|---|---|
| Overnight crowd segment, Gold | Starts at 13 registered attendees |
| Overnight crowd segment, Silver | 10–12 registered attendees for the winning team |
| Overnight crowd segment, ineligible | Fewer than 8 registered attendees |
| Most Improved award | At least 8 participating teams and 10 registered attendees for eligibility |
| Best All-Around, Gold | 1 Gold Paid Bid with 8 or more participating teams |
| Best All-Around, Silver | 1 Silver Paid Bid with 4–7 participating teams |
Enrollment Bids are tied to registered-attendee counts. NCA Cheer Bid Distribution lists 1 Gold Paid Bid per 150 registered attendees. It also lists 1 Silver Paid Bid per 1 to 50 registered attendees up to 150 total registered attendees.
NCA College Summer Camp divisions must have at least 2 participating teams for teams to receive bid points. At NCA College Day Camp, a Silver Paid Bid Crowd Segment win requires at least 5 participating teams and at least 50 campers. With 3 to 5 teams and at least 50 campers, the listed award is 1 first-place Silver Paid Bid only. With 5 or more teams and at least 100 campers, Silver Paid Bids go to first and second place. With 5 or more teams and at least 150 campers, Silver Paid Bids go to first, second, and third place.
These thresholds describe eligibility rules and award structures, not guaranteed attendance or guaranteed bids for a particular team. The relevant quantities are registered attendees, participating teams, or campers depending on the segment, so those terms should not be treated as interchangeable.
2026 college camp locations and planning data
UCA College Cheer Camps lists University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis as a 2026 college camp location from July 21 to 23, 2026. It also lists Legends Event Center in Bryan, Texas, from July 25 to 27, 2026.
The same UCA College Cheer Camps information lists college home camp pricing of $2,290 flat rate for 1 to 9 participants in the 2-day format, or $229 per participant for 10 or more participants. For the 3-day format, it lists $2,700 flat rate for 1 to 9 participants and $270 per participant for 10 or more participants.
Those college home camp prices match the corresponding NCA Home Camp amounts listed earlier, but the source label here is UCA College Cheer Camps. The two 2026 location dates are event schedule details, while the prices are format and group-size figures. Keeping those categories separate makes the statistics useful for comparing a team’s attendance plan, duration, and expected payment structure.