Cheerleader statistics vary considerably by state. In the 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, states reported different numbers of girls competitive spirit schools and participants. The figures below describe that school-year survey category and should not be read as a count of every cheerleader, club, gym, or youth program in the United States.
Table of contents
- What these cheerleader statistics measure
- States with the largest reported participation
- A state comparison of schools and participants
- Participation leaders outside the largest states
- States with smaller reported programs
- Complete state-by-state figures
What these cheerleader statistics measure
The 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey reports two measures for girls competitive spirit: the number of schools and the number of participants. “Schools” refers to schools recorded in the survey category, while “participants” refers to the participants reported there. The survey period is 2024-25, and the geography is the individual state or the District of Columbia.
These are participation figures for the NFHS survey category, not a national census of cheerleading. They do not describe competition results, team size standards, practice hours, injuries, salaries, college participation, or private cheer programs. They also do not establish trends over time because the supplied figures cover one measurement period only.
The source label attached to every figure is the 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. The figures are presented as reported for that survey period; older or differently defined cheerleading statistics should not be treated as independently verified by this article.
States with the largest reported participation
Texas recorded 25,393 girls competitive spirit participants across 1,381 schools, the largest participant and school counts in the supplied state results. Ohio followed with 24,397 participants and 660 schools. California reported 14,096 participants in 527 schools.
The next group by participant count included New York, with 7,233 participants and 375 schools; Pennsylvania, with 6,840 participants and 342 schools; Illinois, with 6,620 participants and 602 schools; Florida, with 6,264 participants and 345 schools; and Michigan, with 6,319 participants and 335 schools. Georgia reported 5,551 participants across 406 schools, while New Jersey reported 5,226 participants across 394 schools.
These figures show why school count and participant count answer different questions. Illinois had more reported schools than New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, or Michigan, but fewer reported participants than each of those states. Ohio had more schools than California, yet California recorded substantially fewer participants. The survey therefore gives readers two useful ways to describe the size of a state program: its reported school presence and its reported participant total.
| State | Girls competitive spirit schools | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,381 | 25,393 |
| Ohio | 660 | 24,397 |
| California | 527 | 14,096 |
| New York | 375 | 7,233 |
| Pennsylvania | 342 | 6,840 |
| Illinois | 602 | 6,620 |
| Florida | 345 | 6,264 |
| Michigan | 335 | 6,319 |
| Georgia | 406 | 5,551 |
| New Jersey | 394 | 5,226 |
Source for all rows: 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey.
A state comparison of schools and participants
Texas stands out in both measures, with 1,381 schools and 25,393 participants. Ohio also appears near the top on both measures, with 660 schools and 24,397 participants. California reported 527 schools and 14,096 participants, making it another large program in the survey results.
Some states show a different balance between the two measures. Arkansas reported 139 schools and 2,984 participants. Kentucky reported 248 schools and 5,181 participants, while Maryland reported 150 schools and 4,938 participants. New Mexico recorded 82 schools and 1,912 participants. These examples illustrate that a lower school count does not automatically correspond to the lowest participant count in the survey.
The same pattern appears among states with several hundred schools. Kansas reported 332 schools and 4,674 participants. Iowa reported 336 schools and 4,025 participants. Minnesota recorded 461 schools and 4,808 participants, and Missouri recorded 458 schools and 4,113 participants. Wisconsin reported 432 schools and 4,813 participants. North Carolina recorded 395 schools and 4,732 participants.
Because the survey supplies counts rather than a common team-size measure, the participant and school figures should be read separately. The data supports statements about reported totals in 2024-25. It does not support assuming that every school had the same number of participants or that one state’s school structure matched another’s.
Participation leaders outside the largest states
Several states reported between 3,000 and 5,000 participants. Virginia recorded 4,150 participants across 304 schools. Indiana recorded 4,199 participants across 366 schools. Massachusetts reported 4,597 participants across 329 schools. Tennessee recorded 3,000 participants across 340 schools, while Oklahoma reported 3,127 participants across 369 schools.
Colorado reported 3,409 participants and 270 schools. South Carolina recorded 2,826 participants across 189 schools, and Oregon reported 2,656 participants across 221 schools. Arizona recorded 2,448 participants across 244 schools. Utah reported 2,332 participants across 133 schools.
The midrange results also include Alabama, with 2,165 participants and 279 schools; Mississippi, with 2,125 participants and 85 schools; Nebraska, with 2,120 participants and 264 schools; Connecticut, with 2,091 participants and 170 schools; and Washington, with 1,987 participants and 106 schools.
These state figures can be useful for describing the geographic spread of high school competitive spirit programs. They should still be kept within the survey’s stated frame: girls competitive spirit, the 2024-25 school year, and the participating schools represented in the NFHS survey.
States with smaller reported programs
The survey includes states with fewer than 1,000 reported participants. Louisiana recorded 463 participants across 96 schools. Wyoming reported 452 participants across 47 schools. Vermont recorded 241 participants across 32 schools. Delaware reported 659 participants across 51 schools, while Rhode Island reported 556 participants across 46 schools.
Other smaller participant totals included the District of Columbia, with 562 participants and 25 schools; South Dakota, with 712 participants and 152 schools; Hawaii, with 706 participants and 45 schools; North Dakota, with 724 participants and 123 schools; Nevada, with 747 participants and 86 schools; Alaska, with 763 participants and 94 schools; and West Virginia, with 789 participants and 93 schools.
Maine recorded 903 participants across 106 schools, and Montana recorded 953 participants across 117 schools. New Hampshire reported 1,054 participants across 52 schools. Idaho recorded 1,470 participants across 130 schools. These values reinforce the importance of naming both measures: New Hampshire’s reported participant count was higher than Maine’s, even though its reported school count was lower.
The District of Columbia is listed separately because it is not a state, but it is included in the survey results with the same two reported measures. Its figures are 25 girls competitive spirit schools and 562 participants for 2024-25.
Complete state-by-state figures
The following list preserves the reported school and participant counts for every state in the supplied results. Each entry refers to the 2024-25 measurement period and the girls competitive spirit category.
- Alabama: 279 schools; 2,165 participants.
- Alaska: 94 schools; 763 participants.
- Arizona: 244 schools; 2,448 participants.
- Arkansas: 139 schools; 2,984 participants.
- California: 527 schools; 14,096 participants.
- Colorado: 270 schools; 3,409 participants.
- Connecticut: 170 schools; 2,091 participants.
- Delaware: 51 schools; 659 participants.
- District of Columbia: 25 schools; 562 participants.
- Florida: 345 schools; 6,264 participants.
- Georgia: 406 schools; 5,551 participants.
- Hawaii: 45 schools; 706 participants.
- Idaho: 130 schools; 1,470 participants.
- Illinois: 602 schools; 6,620 participants.
- Indiana: 366 schools; 4,199 participants.
- Iowa: 336 schools; 4,025 participants.
- Kansas: 332 schools; 4,674 participants.
- Kentucky: 248 schools; 5,181 participants.
- Louisiana: 96 schools; 463 participants.
- Maine: 106 schools; 903 participants.
- Maryland: 150 schools; 4,938 participants.
- Massachusetts: 329 schools; 4,597 participants.
- Michigan: 335 schools; 6,319 participants.
- Minnesota: 461 schools; 4,808 participants.
- Mississippi: 85 schools; 2,125 participants.
- Missouri: 458 schools; 4,113 participants.
- Montana: 117 schools; 953 participants.
- Nebraska: 264 schools; 2,120 participants.
- Nevada: 86 schools; 747 participants.
- New Hampshire: 52 schools; 1,054 participants.
- New Jersey: 394 schools; 5,226 participants.
- New Mexico: 82 schools; 1,912 participants.
- New York: 375 schools; 7,233 participants.
- North Carolina: 395 schools; 4,732 participants.
- North Dakota: 123 schools; 724 participants.
- Ohio: 660 schools; 24,397 participants.
- Oklahoma: 369 schools; 3,127 participants.
- Oregon: 221 schools; 2,656 participants.
- Pennsylvania: 342 schools; 6,840 participants.
- Rhode Island: 46 schools; 556 participants.
- South Carolina: 189 schools; 2,826 participants.
- South Dakota: 152 schools; 712 participants.
- Tennessee: 340 schools; 3,000 participants.
- Texas: 1,381 schools; 25,393 participants.
- Utah: 133 schools; 2,332 participants.
- Vermont: 32 schools; 241 participants.
- Virginia: 304 schools; 4,150 participants.
- Washington: 106 schools; 1,987 participants.
- West Virginia: 93 schools; 789 participants.
- Wisconsin: 432 schools; 4,813 participants.
- Wyoming: 47 schools; 452 participants.
Source for every state and District of Columbia entry: 2024-25 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. The survey year and category matter when comparing these cheerleader statistics with figures from another year or another type of cheer program.