Every two years, the Minnesota State High School League goes through the process of realigning classes and sections for all sports. There are always discussion around how to provide parity while applying some sort of logic, but this is the system we have now. Classes are based on enrollment and sections within classes are based geographically while maintaining a consistent number of schools in each section.
Here’s a look at the changes going into the 2023 Girls High School Season
Moving up from Class A to Class AA
- New Prague (1A to 1AA)
- Richfield (2A to 6AA
- Sauk Rapids-Rice (5A to 8AA)
- Two Rivers (4A to 3AA)
- Waconia (3A to 2AA)
Moving down from Class AA to Class A
- Minneapolis South (6AA to 2A)
- North High School – North St. Paul (4AA to 4A)
- Northfield (1AA to 1A)
- Robbinsdale Cooper (5AA to 2A)
- St. Paul Harding (4AA to 4A)
Shifting Sections
- Chisago Lakes (4A to 5A)
- Lakes International (4A to 5A)
- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A to 6A)
- St. Cloud Tech (5A to 6A)
- Alexandria (6A to 8A)
- Morris Area (6A to 8A)
- East Ridge (3AA to 4AA)
In Class AA, the addition of New Prague and Waconia will add a couple state level qualifiers to the mix as individuals, but from a team perspective, it will likely take them a couple of years to adapt to the AA field. Sauk Rapids-Rice will add some depth to Section 8AA, while Two Rivers should do the same for Section 3AA.
In Class A, the addition of Northfield puts a top 5 state team in the mix for the existing Class A school to contend with. Sections 6 and 8 will look markedly different with Alexandria and Morris shift to 8 and St. Cloud Cathedral and St. Tech backfilling their spots.