UIL releases 2026–28 district alignments, reshaping San Antonio-area schedules across football, basketball and volleyball
New two-year map takes effect in fall 2026 and reflects updated school enrollments
The University Interscholastic League has released reclassification and district alignments for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 school years, setting competitive districts for Texas public schools in football, basketball and volleyball. The new assignments will begin with the fall 2026 semester and will govern regular-season schedules, district championships and playoff pathways for the next two academic years.
UIL realignment is conducted on a two-year cycle and is driven primarily by enrollment snapshots that determine whether campuses move up or down in classification. The 2026–28 release includes conference cutoffs that place the largest schools in Class 6A and organizes Class 5A football into Divisions I and II.
6A realignment moves several fast-growing San Antonio-area campuses into the top classification
Among the most consequential local shifts, multiple campuses in the San Antonio region have been reassigned to Class 6A. Comal ISD’s Pieper and Judson ISD’s Wagner are slated to compete in District 27-6A alongside established programs including Cibolo Steele, Converse Judson, Schertz Clemens, New Braunfels Canyon, San Antonio East Central and San Marcos.
Southwest ISD’s Southwest and Southwest Legacy are placed into District 30-6A, aligned with a geographically expansive grouping that includes multiple Laredo schools as well as Del Rio and Eagle Pass—an arrangement that is expected to increase travel demands while creating new inter-regional matchups within Region IV.
5A, 4A and 3A districts re-drawn across the I-35 corridor and nearby counties
In Class 5A football, the updated map continues to separate schools into Divisions I and II and reorders many San Antonio-area pairings with Central Texas and Victoria-area programs. Seguin remains in 5A Division I and is assigned to a district that includes Austin-area schools alongside Boerne Champion and Comal Smithson Valley, shifting the week-to-week slate toward the I-35 corridor.
At the 4A and 3A levels, district groupings cluster a mix of San Antonio-area programs and nearby counties, creating new regular-season matchups and potential playoff seeding impacts. Navarro is placed with a district group that includes Bandera, Cuero, Gonzales, Pearsall and San Antonio Memorial, while Marion is aligned with a 3A district that includes Hallettsville, Luling, Yoakum, San Antonio Cole, Smithville and Randolph.
What changes for schedules, travel and playoffs
District opponents will change for many campuses, affecting rivalry frequency, travel distances and non-district scheduling needs.
In 6A and 5A, district composition also reshapes likely first-round playoff pairings because bi-district matchups are set by UIL’s regional bracket structure.
District alignments for football, basketball and volleyball were released first, while other UIL activity alignments are scheduled for later release.
The 2026–28 alignments establish the official district framework for the next two seasons, but UIL procedures also allow a formal appeal process for conference placement and assignments under certain conditions.
Schools and athletic departments now move into the practical phase of building schedules around the new districts, including balancing travel, arranging non-district games and coordinating multi-sport logistics under the updated two-year alignment map.