Varsity cheer statistics are often reported within the broader high-school category called competitive spirit. In 2023-24, the NFHS counted 181,023 girls participants across 7,827 schools and 5,128 boys participants across 1,074 schools. The figures below keep the NFHS category and measurement years visible, then add CDC injury context from 2010-2016 and 2018.
Contents
- National participation snapshot
- Change since 2016-17
- Largest state participation totals
- Participation by state
- Schools and average participants per school
- Boys participation
- Injury and stunt statistics
National participation snapshot
The NFHS 2023-24 participation survey recorded competitive spirit as a substantial girls program nationally. It counted 181,023 girls participants at 7,827 girls schools. Among girls programs, competitive spirit ranked 10th by participants in that survey. These are participation counts reported by the NFHS for the 2023-24 school year, not an estimate of every cheer athlete in the country.
The same survey counted 5,128 boys participants at 1,074 boys schools. Because the survey reports girls and boys separately, the two figures should not be treated as a single undifferentiated varsity-cheer total. They describe the NFHS competitive-spirit participation categories as presented in the 2023-24 survey.
The school count and participant count also answer different questions. A school count indicates how many schools reported the program, while a participant count indicates the athletes reported within that category. Neither figure states how many teams competed, how many meets were held, or how many athletes participated outside the NFHS survey’s reporting scope.
Change since 2016-17
The NFHS 2016-17 participation survey counted 144,243 girls participants at 6,541 girls schools. In the same survey, it counted 2,505 boys participants at 745 boys schools. The earlier figures provide a historical reference point for the 2023-24 results.
| NFHS survey year | Girls schools | Girls participants | Boys schools | Boys participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 6,541 | 144,243 | 745 | 2,505 |
| 2023-24 | 7,827 | 181,023 | 1,074 | 5,128 |
The two survey years show higher reported counts in 2023-24 for both school participation and athlete participation. The girls category was reported across 1,286 more schools in 2023-24 than in 2016-17, while the boys category was reported across 329 more schools. The participant counts were also higher in 2023-24: 181,023 girls compared with 144,243, and 5,128 boys compared with 2,505.
These are two survey snapshots, not a year-by-year trend line. The supplied NFHS figures do not establish the reasons for the difference between the survey years, and they do not support treating the change as a continuous annual growth rate.
Largest state participation totals
The 2023-24 NFHS state figures show the largest reported girls competitive-spirit participant totals in Texas, California, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama. Texas reported 24,063 girls participants at 1,375 schools. California reported 22,182 participants at 840 schools, and Ohio reported 15,200 at 760 schools.
Mississippi reported 8,341 girls participants at 240 schools, while Alabama reported 8,412 at 380 schools. New York reported 7,854 participants at 405 schools. Pennsylvania reported 6,840 at 342 schools, Michigan reported 6,172 at 331 schools, and Illinois reported 6,020 at 355 schools.
| State | Girls schools | Girls participants |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,375 | 24,063 |
| California | 840 | 22,182 |
| Ohio | 760 | 15,200 |
| Alabama | 380 | 8,412 |
| Mississippi | 240 | 8,341 |
| New York | 405 | 7,854 |
| Pennsylvania | 342 | 6,840 |
| Michigan | 331 | 6,172 |
| Illinois | 355 | 6,020 |
The state figures are not rankings of individual athletes or competitive results. They are participation-survey counts, and the source labels the category as girls spirit or competitive spirit rather than presenting a separate nationwide “varsity cheer” series.
Participation by state
The NFHS 2023-24 survey reported the following girls competitive-spirit counts by state. Each entry gives schools followed by participants, preserving the survey’s geography and school-year context.
Alabama reported 380 schools and 8,412 participants. Alaska reported 22 schools and 230 participants. Arkansas reported 146 schools and 2,852 participants. California reported 840 schools and 22,182 participants. Connecticut reported 177 schools and 2,134 participants. The District of Columbia reported 25 schools and 562 participants.
Florida reported 303 schools and 5,013 participants. Georgia reported 409 schools and 5,500 participants. Hawaii reported 49 schools and 685 participants. Idaho reported 128 schools and 1,470 participants. Illinois reported 355 schools and 6,020 participants. Indiana reported 373 schools and 4,067 participants.
Iowa reported 346 schools and 4,141 participants. Kansas reported 341 schools and 4,561 participants. Kentucky reported 245 schools and 5,166 participants. Louisiana reported 96 schools and 463 participants. Maine reported 65 schools and 851 participants. Maryland reported 113 schools and 4,328 participants.
Michigan reported 331 schools and 6,172 participants. Minnesota reported 371 schools and 4,613 participants. Mississippi reported 240 schools and 8,341 participants. Missouri reported 444 schools and 3,972 participants. Montana reported 121 schools and 954 participants. Nebraska reported 267 schools and 1,984 participants.
Nevada reported 83 schools and 668 participants. New Hampshire reported 40 schools and 972 participants. New Jersey reported 386 schools and 5,155 participants. New Mexico reported 83 schools and 1,827 participants. New York reported 405 schools and 7,854 participants. North Carolina reported 382 schools and 4,279 participants.
North Dakota reported 118 schools and 662 participants. Ohio reported 760 schools and 15,200 participants. Oklahoma reported 337 schools and 2,895 participants. Oregon reported 237 schools and 2,405 participants. Pennsylvania reported 342 schools and 6,840 participants. Rhode Island reported 46 schools and 620 participants.
South Carolina reported 210 schools and 2,358 participants. South Dakota reported 143 schools and 744 participants. Tennessee reported 331 schools and 2,886 participants. Texas reported 1,375 schools and 24,063 participants. Utah reported 129 schools and 2,257 participants. Vermont reported 32 schools and 241 participants.
Virginia reported 298 schools and 4,117 participants. Washington reported 64 schools and 838 participants. West Virginia reported 97 schools and 797 participants. Wisconsin reported 482 schools and 4,760 participants. Wyoming reported 69 schools and 449 participants.
Source for all state counts: NFHS 2023-24 participation survey. The survey figures are reported for girls competitive spirit and are measured by state for the 2023-24 school year.
Schools and average participants per school
The paired school and participant counts show how the reported size of the category varies geographically. Texas had both the largest reported school count, at 1,375, and the largest participant count, at 24,063. California had 840 schools and 22,182 participants, while Ohio had 760 schools and 15,200 participants.
Several states reported many schools alongside more moderate participant totals. Missouri reported 444 schools and 3,972 participants. Wisconsin reported 482 schools and 4,760 participants. New York reported 405 schools and 7,854 participants, while Georgia reported 409 schools and 5,500 participants.
Other states reported smaller school counts. Vermont had 32 schools and 241 participants; the District of Columbia had 25 schools and 562 participants; Alaska had 22 schools and 230 participants; and New Hampshire had 40 schools and 972 participants. These counts describe the number of schools and participants in the survey, not team-size requirements or eligibility rules.
The data also includes states with comparatively concentrated participant counts in the reported category. Mississippi had 240 schools and 8,341 participants, and Alabama had 380 schools and 8,412 participants. Kentucky had 245 schools and 5,166 participants, while Maryland had 113 schools and 4,328 participants. The supplied figures do not explain differences in school enrollment, reporting practices, roster rules, or program structure, so those factors should not be inferred from the counts alone.
Boys participation
The NFHS historical figures show boys participation separately. In 2016-17, the survey counted 745 boys schools and 2,505 boys participants. In 2023-24, it counted 1,074 boys schools and 5,128 boys participants.
This category is materially smaller than the girls category in the same national survey snapshots, but it is still reported across more than one thousand schools in 2023-24. The figures should be read as NFHS competitive-spirit participation counts for boys, not as a complete measure of every male cheerleader or every type of cheer program.
Injury and stunt statistics
The CDC provides a separate perspective on sports injuries. In a CDC NCHS 2019 emergency-department visit report covering 2010-2016, cheerleading and gymnastics together accounted for 11.8% of sports-injury emergency-department visits among females ages 5-24, compared with 2.1% among males ages 5-24. This is a share of sports-injury ED visits for the stated age and sex groups, not a rate of injury among varsity cheer participants.
The same CDC NCHS 2019 report estimated approximately 2.7 million annual emergency-department visits for sports injuries among patients ages 5-24 during 2010-2016. That estimate covers sports injuries broadly; it is not limited to cheerleading, competitive spirit, or high-school athletes.
A separate CDC Heads Up poster reported that, in 2018, 91% of high-school cheerleading concussions happened during stunts. The measurement year is 2018, and the statistic concerns high-school cheerleading concussions. It does not state that 91% of all cheer injuries, all sports injuries, or all competitive-spirit injuries occurred during stunts.
Together, the CDC figures identify the scope of the available safety measures: one statistic combines cheerleading with gymnastics and covers emergency-department visits, one estimates annual sports-injury visits for a broad age range, and one focuses specifically on high-school cheerleading concussions in 2018. They should therefore be used as distinct measures rather than combined into a single injury percentage.