Sports

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

Infographic

Sports balls overlayed with data charts.
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.
View Infographic
Claudia Carranza, of Harlingen, hugs her son, Laur Kaufman, 13, at a rally against House Bill 25, a bill that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls school sports, outside the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
Claudia Carranza, of Harlingen, hugs her son, Laur Kaufman, 13, at a rally against House Bill 25, a bill that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls school sports, outside the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
States ‘Hateful’: White House Blasts Texas’ Pending Restriction on Transgender Student Athletes
Abbott hasn’t said when he’ll sign House Bill 25 into law, but there’s no doubt he will, having pressed for the trans sports ban all year.
Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News, October 20, 2021
•
3 min read
Image of a gavel.
Marilyn Nieves/E+
Law & Courts 'I Just Want to Play.' Judge Halts W. Va. Law Barring Transgender Girls From Girls' Sports
Ruling for an 11-year-old transgender girl, the judge holds that the law likely violates the equal-protection clause and Title IX.
Mark Walsh, July 22, 2021
•
3 min read
Image of the Supreme Court.
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts U.S. Supreme Court Rules for Athletes Over NCAA in Case on Education-Related Compensation
In a case watched in high school sports, the justices hold that some limits on college athlete compensation violate federal antitrust law.
Mark Walsh, June 21, 2021
•
5 min read
Advocates for transgender people march from the South Dakota governor's mansion to the Capitol in Pierre, S.D., on March 11, 2021, to protest a proposed ban on transgender girls and women from female sports leagues.
Advocates for transgender people march from the South Dakota governor's mansion to the Capitol in Pierre, S.D., to protest a ban on transgender girls and women from female sports leagues, one of dozens of measures considered in state legislatures this year.
Stephen Groves/AP
Law & Courts Let Transgender Student Play on Girls' Team, Feds Say, Supporting Her Suit Over a State Law
A West Virginia law barring transgender girls from girls' sports teams violates Title IX and U.S. Constitution, the Justice Department says.
Evie Blad, June 17, 2021
•
3 min read
Maddy Niebauer and her 10-year-old transgender son, Julian, from Middleton, Wis., take part in a rally for transgender rights at the Capitol in Madison, Wis. on May 26, 2021.
Maddy Niebauer and her 10-year-old transgender son, Julian, from Middleton, Wis., take part in a rally for transgender rights at the Capitol in Madison, Wis. on May 26, 2021.
Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP
Equity & Diversity Video Transgender Students: 'People Suffer When They Can’t Do What Makes Them Happiest'
Transgender students in nine states are required to play only on sports teams that match their gender assigned at birth. A look at the impact of that requirement.
Eric Harkleroad, June 16, 2021
•
3:48
052821 Nate Bone KD 268 BS
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Video Where Friendship Happens When School Goes Online
With school online and social interactions limited, senior Nate Bone found a new group of friends through his school’s cross country team.
Kaylee Domzalski, June 14, 2021
•
2:00
Herriman cheerleaders carry the American flag before the start of a high school football game against Davis, on Aug. 13, 2020, in Herriman, Utah. Utah went forward with high school football this fall despite concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that led other states and many college football conferences to postpone games in hopes of instead playing in the spring.
Cheerleaders carry the American flag before the start of a high school football game last year in Herriman, Utah. Utah's Test-to-Play program required students and staff participating in extracurricular activities like cheerleading to regularly undergo testing for COVID-19.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Strict COVID-19 Testing Can Keep Extracurriculars Going, CDC Finds
New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds Utah's coronavirus testing prevented outbreaks following sports events.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 21, 2021
•
3 min read
Image of a gavel.
Marilyn Nieves/E+
Law & Courts Appeals Court Weighs Idaho Law Barring Transgender Female Students From Girls' Sports
The three-judge federal court panel reviews a lower-court ruling that blocked the controversial statute and said it was likely unconstitutional.
Mark Walsh, May 4, 2021
•
4 min read
In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 photo, Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn. In the track-and-field community in Connecticut, the dominance of Miller and Yearwood has stirred resentment among some competitors and their families.
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet in New Haven, Conn., in February 2019.
Pat Eaton-Robb/AP
Law & Courts Federal Judge Dismisses Challenge to Transgender-Inclusive Athletics Policy in Connecticut
A federal district court judge said the lawsuit by cisgender female athletes was moot because two transgender track athletes had graduated.
Mark Walsh, April 26, 2021
•
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Sympathetic to College Athletes' Challenge to NCAA Rules on Education Aid
The justices weighed a case about the definition of amateurism in college athletics that may trickle down to high school and youth sports.
Mark Walsh, March 31, 2021
•
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts High School Sports World Watching U.S. Supreme Court Case on NCAA Compensation Rules
The body that sets high school sports rules worries that any change on amateurism in college athletics would trickle down to K-12.
Mark Walsh, March 26, 2021
•
5 min read
Advocates for transgender people march from the South Dakota governor's mansion to the Capitol in Pierre, S.D., on March 11, 2021, to protest a proposed ban on transgender girls and women from female sports leagues.
Advocates for transgender people march from the South Dakota governor's mansion to the Capitol in Pierre to protest a proposed ban on transgender girls and women from female sports leagues.
Stephen Groves/AP
States Two More States Pass Restrictions on Transgender Students. Will Others Follow?
States have considered dozens of bills on the rights of transgender students. They cover everything from sports to pronouns used in schools.
Evie Blad, March 26, 2021
•
4 min read
Image of a gavel.
Marilyn Nieves/E+
Law & Courts Appeals Court Again Backs School District Against Football Coach Who Prayed on Field
The federal court at least partially answers a U.S. Supreme Court justice's concerns about the effect of its ruling on educator speech rights.
Mark Walsh, March 18, 2021
•
4 min read
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn on Feb. 7, 2019. Transgender athletes are getting an ally in the White House next week as they seek to participate as their identified gender in high school and college sports. Attorneys on both sides say they expect President-elect Joe Biden’s Department of Education will switch sides in legal battles that could go a long way in determining whether transgender athletes are treated by the sex on their birth certificates or by how they identify.
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in an event in New Haven, Conn. The two transgender athletes are at the center of a legal fight in Connecticut over the participation of transgender female athletes in girls' or women's sports.
Pat Eaton-Robb/AP
Federal Biden Legal Team Steps Back From Trump Stance on Transgender Female Sports Participation
The Education Department's office for civil rights pulls a letter that said Connecticut's transgender-inclusive policy violates Title IX.
Mark Walsh, February 24, 2021
•
4 min read
Load More ▼