Canyon High School will drop to 4A for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years according to cut-off numbers released by UIL last Wednesday, Dec. 6.

UIL categorizes schools into six conferences based on student population size. Canyon High’s current population of 1128.5 places it in Conference 4A, which includes schools with 505 to 1149 students. In February, UIL will release the list of schools in each district. While there is only one division for most sports, football is categorized under 4A Division 1, which is the larger schools in Conference 4A.

“It’s exciting because we’ll be on the bigger end of 4A, whereas the past 10 years, we’ve been on the lower end of our classification,” principal Tim Gilliland said.

Gilliland said Canyon High can compete well with other 4A schools if students continue with a hard work ethic and put in the time needed to be successful.

“Through the years, Canyon High students have competed really well, and we’ve done really well on the 5A level,” Gilliland said. “If we want to be the dominant 4A school, I think our coaches are up to the test, and I think our kids are up to the test.”

Gilliland said when students compete and teams do well, it has an effect on the campus and students’ education.

“It will provide a much more positive atmosphere if we’re successful on the 4A level,” Gilliland said. “We’re always looking for ways to make our campus better. Classification doesn’t really affect that.”