The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the new divisional breakdowns and playoff regions for the 2026 football season.

Nineteen CBUS-area schools change divisions in the fall. Fourteen move up, while five move down. Here’s the list (playoff teams in 2025 marked with *):

St Charles – II to 1
Worthington Kilbourne -II to I *
Westerville South – II to I *
Licking Heights – II to I

Columbus West – III to II
Hamilton Township – III to II *
Independence – III to II *
Bishop Watterson – III to II * (state champions)

Jonathan Alder – IV to III *
Columbus. East – IV to III *
KIPP Columbus – IV to III

Buckeye Valley – III to IV *
London – III to IV *

Logan Elm – IV to V

Grove City Christian – VI to V *
Fairbanks – VI to V

Northridge – V to VI
Harvest Prep – V to VI

Newark Catholic – VII to VI

The most notable moves are Bishop Watterson and London. Watterson is the two-time defending state champion in Division III, so there will be two defending title holders in Division II going into the fall. In addition to the Eagles, the Avon (also) Eagles will look to capture the DII championship.

The London Red Raiders put together an undefeated regular season last year before falling in the regional finals to Tippecanoe. The Raiders actually move down to Division IV from Division III.

Starting Monday, schools will have a two-week window to opt up to Division I, per OHSAA bylaw 2-1-1, which could result in additional changes to divisional assignments. 

A total of 37 schools moved up a division from their 2025 assignment, which is due to the 2026-27 school year being the start of a new two-year base enrollment cycle, and/or also the OHSAA’s competitive balance process.

Schools can have up to 13 days of practice without pads during the summer, beginning May 15. An additional five days are permitted beginning July 15 for schools to complete the mandatory five-day acclimatization period. The OHSAA does not set a limit on physical fitness and conditioning workouts in the summer.

2026 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns

Division Adjusted Enrollment          Number of Teams

I              601 and more                            72

II             356 to 600                                 106

III            257 to 355                                  106

IV            197 to 256                                  104

V             150 to 198                                   105

VI            107 to 149                                    107

VII           148 and less                               108

               Total Teams                                    708