New York Ranks 3rd In High School Athletics Participation

LATHAM, N.Y. (AP) — New York ranks third in the country for the total number of student-athletes participating in high school athletics.

That's according to figures from the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations, which place the Empire State behind only Texas and California.

According to a survey by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, over a half million student-athletes from 787 schools participated in interscholastic athletics during the 2017-2018 school year. Of the 562,207 student-athletes who participated, the breakdown between sexes was nearly even, with 53.6 percent boys and 46.4 percent girls.

State figures show that 31,760 total interscholastic athletic programs were offered, with the highest number of student-athletes, just over 269,000, participating in varsity programs.