Cheer gyms sit at the intersection of school athletics, All Star programs, coaching, and large-scale competition. The available figures show competitive spirit participation rising from 153,820 students in 2022–23 to 206,262 in 2024–25, while the 2025 Cheerleading and Dance Worlds brought approximately 13,000 athletes together across more than 900 teams and 28 countries. The sections below separate school-based participation from All Star cheer infrastructure and identify the measurement period for each figure.
Contents
- School athletics at a glance
- Competitive spirit participation
- Longer-term participation history
- How competitive spirit compares with other girls sports
- USASF membership and gym structure
- The scale of Worlds competition
School athletics at a glance
The [NFHS 2024–25 participation survey](NFHS 2024-25 participation survey) counted 8,266,244 total participants across high school sports in the United States. The survey reported 4,726,648 boys and 3,539,596 girls. These are participation counts for the 2024–25 school year, not a count of every athlete who trains at a private cheer gym.
Competitive spirit reached 206,262 participants in that same 2024–25 survey. NFHS identified it as the sixth-most popular girls sport for the year and reported a nearly 14% year-over-year increase. That distinction matters for interpreting cheer gym statistics: the school-athletics number measures students recorded in the competitive-spirit category, while a gym may also serve athletes in recreational, exhibition, sideline, or All Star programs that are not represented by this one survey category.
The overall high school sports total also rose across the recent survey years supplied here:
| NFHS survey period | Total high school sports participants | Competitive spirit participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 7,857,969 | 153,820 |
| 2023–24 | 8,062,302 | 181,023 |
| 2024–25 | 8,266,244 | 206,262 |
The [NFHS 2023–24 participation survey](NFHS 2023-24 participation survey) recorded 8,062,302 total participants and said that total was up 210,469 from the prior year. Competitive spirit reached 181,023 participants and was up 20% in 2023–24. The [NFHS 2022–23 participation survey](NFHS 2022-23 participation survey) recorded 7,857,969 total participants, including 4,529,789 boys and 3,328,180 girls.
Competitive spirit participation
The most recent competitive-spirit count in the supplied NFHS series is 206,262 participants in 2024–25. The preceding count was 181,023 in 2023–24, followed by 153,820 in 2022–23. Those three measurements describe a rising school-based participation series over consecutive survey periods, with the 2023–24 report specifically describing a 20% increase and the 2024–25 report describing an increase of nearly 14% from the previous year.
The 2022–23 survey provides a more detailed breakdown: 149,694 girls and 852 boys participated in competitive spirit, and 7,216 schools were recorded. In 2021–22, competitive spirit reached 165,296 total participants, including 161,358 girls and 3,938 boys across 7,214 schools, according to the [NFHS 2021–22 participation survey](NFHS 2021-22 participation survey). NFHS ranked competitive spirit ninth among girls sports in 2021–22.
The school count is useful context for gym owners and families because it shows the category was associated with more than 7,000 schools in both 2021–22 and 2022–23. It should not be read as a count of private gyms, teams, or facilities. The unit is schools in the NFHS participation reporting.
The 2024–25 survey also gives comparison points for other girls sports. Girls track and field had 513,808 participants, girls volleyball had 492,799, girls soccer had 393,048, girls basketball had 356,240, and girls fast-pitch softball had 331,306. These figures show the scale of the wider school-sports market in the same measurement period as the 206,262 competitive-spirit participants.
Longer-term participation history
Earlier NFHS reports place current competitive-spirit participation in a broader historical sequence. The [NFHS 2018–19 participation survey](NFHS 2018-19 participation survey) listed 161,358 girls participants and ranked competitive spirit ninth among girls sports. The [NFHS 2017–18 participation survey](NFHS 2017-18 participation survey) listed 162,669 girls participants, also ninth among girls sports, and reported that competitive spirit added 18,426 participants—the largest increase among girls sports that year. Total high school sports participation reached 7,980,886 in 2017–18.
The [NFHS 2016–17 spirit rules coverage](NFHS 2016-17 spirit rules coverage) described more than 400,000 high school cheerleaders overall, with about 144,000 in competitive-spirit squads. It also reported that competitive spirit added 18,712 participants, the largest increase among girls sports that year. The [NFHS 2015–16 spirit rules coverage](NFHS 2015-16 spirit rules coverage) placed competitive spirit at about 130,000 participants and ranked it ninth among girls sports.
The 2014–15 report listed 125,763 girls participants in competitive-spirit squads and called the category the 10th-most popular girls sport. The 2013–14 report listed 120,593 girls participants and ranked competitive spirit ninth among girls sports. These counts come from the [NFHS 2014–15 participation survey](NFHS 2014-15 participation survey) and [NFHS 2013–14 spirit rules coverage](NFHS 2013-14 spirit rules coverage), respectively.
NFHS spirit rules coverage also said there were about 400,000 high school cheerleaders in the United States in 2009. A separate NFHS source reported 116,508 participants in competitive-spirit squads in 2012–13. Because these older figures come from reports with different labels and stated scopes, they should be treated as historical source-reported measurements rather than as a perfectly uniform time series.
How competitive spirit compares with other girls sports
The 2024–25 comparison is clearest when the sports are viewed together. Competitive spirit’s 206,262 participants placed it below the five larger girls-sport counts listed in the same survey, but above the supplied counts for girls tennis, cross country, swimming and diving, and lacrosse.
| Girls sport, 2024–25 | Participants |
|---|---|
| Track and field | 513,808 |
| Volleyball | 492,799 |
| Soccer | 393,048 |
| Basketball | 356,240 |
| Fast-pitch softball | 331,306 |
| Competitive spirit | 206,262 |
| Tennis | 204,721 |
| Cross country | 191,733 |
| Swimming and diving | 138,303 |
| Lacrosse | 99,292 |
Competitive spirit was therefore reported at 1,541 participants more than girls tennis in 2024–25. That comparison is a direct difference between the two supplied counts, and it uses the same NFHS survey period. The ranking label supplied by NFHS—sixth-most popular girls sport—also places the category just above the five lower-count sports listed here.
For a cheer gym, this comparison helps distinguish visibility from category size. The NFHS category is substantial within school athletics, but it is not identical to the full cheer ecosystem. The older NFHS statement of more than 400,000 high school cheerleaders overall, compared with about 144,000 in competitive-spirit squads in 2016–17, illustrates why “cheerleader” and “competitive spirit participant” should not be treated as interchangeable terms.
USASF membership and gym structure
The [USASF Athletes page](USASF Athletes page) lists athlete membership at $49 per term or season. The membership period runs from June 1 through May 31. USASF defines adult athlete members as people who are 18 years or older at the start of the season, and adult athletes pay an additional $19 background screening fee.
The [USASF Clubs page](USASF Clubs page) lists club membership at $100 per year and coach membership at $75 per year. These are membership figures, not a complete estimate of tuition, uniforms, travel, private lessons, facility costs, or competition expenses. A family comparing cheer gyms should keep those other costs separate from the USASF amounts reported here.
USASF also uses event-producer membership levels. The [USASF Event Producers page](USASF Event Producers page) describes bronze membership as intended for gym members or organizations producing one competition or showcase per year. Diamond membership requires hosting a national championship with at least 125 All Star Cheer teams from the prior season, while platinum membership requires hosting a national championship with at least 100 All Star Cheer teams from the prior season.
The [USASF Club Search](USASF Club Search) requires four active athletes to be attached to a club. That threshold is a system requirement for appearing in the club-finder context supplied here; it is not a claim that every viable gym has exactly four athletes or that four athletes define a typical program.
The scale of Worlds competition
The [USASF 2025 Cheerleading and Dance Worlds release](USASF Worlds release) said the 2025 event welcomed approximately 13,000 athletes, featured over 900 teams, and represented 28 countries. Those figures describe one international event and are not a total count of all athletes, teams, or gyms in the cheer industry.
The same USASF source says The Cheerleading Worlds has been held annually since 2004, while The Dance Worlds has been held since 2007. Together, the participation and event figures show two different scales: NFHS surveys measure school-based participation during a defined academic year, while Worlds figures describe the reach of a specific international competition.
The [USASF Worlds release](USASF Worlds release) therefore provides a useful benchmark for competition scale, but it should not be used to estimate the number of cheer gyms. Likewise, the 2025–26 USASF age grid set a 30-athlete maximum for all International Levels 1–4 divisions, according to [USASF News](USASF News). That is a division limit for the specified season and levels, not a general maximum for every cheer team.
Taken together, the figures point to a sport with a large school-based foundation, a growing competitive-spirit category in the latest survey years, formal membership structures, and international events measured in thousands of athletes. The most reliable interpretation is to keep each statistic tied to its source, geography, season, and unit: participants, girls participants, schools, members, teams, or athletes are different measurements.