Sports

Learn more about student sports in and out of schools, including how athletics affect students’ health, well-being, and academic achievement

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Statistics on School Sports: How Many Students Play Sports? Which Sports Do They Play?
Browse key data on school sports, including how often girls and boys are participating and which ones they are choosing to play.
Equity & Diversity Spotlight Spotlight on Inclusion
This Spotlight will help you evaluate the negative treatment LGBTQ+ students experience, discover the positives of unified sports, and more.

December 15, 2022
Physical Education teacher Amanda DeLaGarza instructs students how to stretch during 7th grade P.E. class at Cockrill Middle School on Nov. 9, 2016 in McKinney, Texas.
Schools in the United States earned a D-minus grade in 2022 in an international ranking from the Physical Activity Alliance for how well they facilitate access to physical activity for students. Research shows that physical activity, such as participation in sports, improves mental health.
Ting Shen/The Dallas Morning News via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Sports Coaches Want More Training on How to Address Young Athletes' Mental Health
A survey found that only 18 percent of coaches feel confident that they know how to connect their athletes to mental health supports.
Arianna Prothero, November 30, 2022
4 min read
A high school football player in a blue helmet with an orange arrow on it tackles a player in a white and green uniform.
A player from the Westlake High School Warriors in Thousand Oaks, Calif., plays football in a helmet with an arrowhead logo. California has banned only certain Native American-themed mascots, but other states have passed broader restrictions.
Alex Gallardo/AP
Equity & Diversity More States Push Schools to Drop Native American Mascots
At states' urging, schools will drop Native American mascots, citing the harm of racist stereotypes. The changes bring logistical and political challenges.
Evie Blad, November 28, 2022
6 min read
Josh Sargent of the United States controls the ball during the World Cup, group B soccer match between the United States and Wales, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
Josh Sargent of the United States controls the ball during the a World Cup match between the United States and Wales in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 21.
Francisco Seco/AP
Curriculum The World Cup as Teachable Moment? How One Teacher Approached It
It's not just a game: Geopolitics are inscribed into the soccer championship, giving teachers an opportunity to host rich discussions.
Stephen Sawchuk, November 22, 2022
3 min read
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement 6 Rules for Engaging Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Sports
Here's how to get started with unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 21, 2022
3 min read
Saratoga Springs High School Physical Education teacher, Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of teaching Unified P.E.
Saratoga Springs High School physical education teacher Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of the unified class.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Special Education Unified Sports Level the Playing Field for Students With Disabilities
Interest is growing in unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play and compete together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 8, 2022
7 min read
A police officer stands between rows of caution tape outside of a white high school football stadium that is brightly lit against the night sky.
A Tulsa Police officer films the area outside of the McLain High School football stadium in Tulsa, Okla., after a shooting during a Sept. 30 football game.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
School Climate & Safety A School Safety Challenge: Keeping Crowds Secure Under the Glare of Friday Night Lights
Districts aim to keep students and spectators safe during sporting events, which draw large crowds to a less predictable environment.
Evie Blad, October 27, 2022
5 min read
The Michigan City High School Girls Varsity Basketball team hosted a Future Wolves basketball camp for elementary and middle school girls on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at the high school.
The varsity girls basketball team at Michigan City High School in Michigan City, Ind., hosted a basketball camp for elementary and middle school girls last spring.
Kelley Smith/The News Dispatch via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement School Sports Participation Drops, Raising Concern About 'Physical Learning Loss'
But interest in e-sports and inclusive teams is rising.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 28, 2022
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Searching for Common Ground: High School Football’s Risks and Rewards
Safety concerns with high school football are real, but the sport also has value for student athletes.
Rick Hess, September 13, 2022
4 min read
Sivan Kotler-Berkowitz, 17, a transgender student-athlete, plays soccer with his brother, Lev, at a Massachusetts park on Sept. 3, 2022.
Sivan Kotler-Berkowitz, 17, a transgender student-athlete, plays soccer at a Massachusetts park.
Angela Rowlings for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Transgender Student Athletes 'Just Want to Play.' Will Federal Law Assure They Can?
As state debates rage, the U.S. Department of Education promises to update Title IX. But details and timing remain uncertain.
Libby Stanford, September 8, 2022
10 min read
Football players are silhouetted as they practice in the early morning sun at Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. It was the first day for Cooper varsity practice.
Football players are silhouetted as they practice in the early morning sun at Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas.
Ronald W. Erdrich/The Abilene Reporter-News via AP
School Climate & Safety How the Uvalde Tragedy Is Affecting Texas High School Football Games, Stadium Security
Texas school administrators are reevaluating their in-school and extracurricular security policies and instituting new ones.
Lia Assimakopoulos, The Dallas Morning News, August 24, 2022
8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion Searching for Common Ground: Rick and Pedro Go to the Movies Again
Movies and TV shows like "Lean on Me" and "Friday Night Lights" center on real education issues and can help the public work through them.
Rick Hess, August 18, 2022
5 min read
The FanDuel Sportsbook at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland launches sports betting at Sports & Social Maryland, Dec. 10, 2021.
The FanDuel Sportsbook at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland launches sports betting at Sports & Social Maryland, Dec. 10, 2021.
Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement States Tackle Teenage Gambling as Sports Betting Grows
The portrait of a new problem gambler is emerging: the high school student.
Marsha Mercer, Stateline.org, July 13, 2022
7 min read
Monique Lopes, 16, far left, dresses with unidentified football players at Pepin High School prior to practice Monday, Sept. 27, 1999, in Pepin, Wis.
High school girls get ready for football practice at Pepin High School in Pepin, Wis., in a 1999 photo.
Steve Kinderman/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram via AP
Equity & Diversity 5 Ways Title IX Transformed School Sports (and More)
On the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights law, here are five ways it transformed sports and schooling and still does.
Apoorvaa Mandar Bichu, June 22, 2022
4 min read