Number of Michigan High Schools With Sports Participation Fees Down Five Percent

The Michigan High School Athletic Association says high schools that assessed participation fees dropped five percent during the 2014-15 school year to its lowest level since 2011-12.

A total of 522 high schools, 69 percent of the MHSAA membership, responded to the MHSAA survey.

269 high schools (51.5 percent that took the survey) charged fees this school year, compared to 56.6 percent of schools that responded in 2013-14.

There were 753 senior high schools in the MHSAA membership in 2014-15. This was the 11th survey of schools since the 2003-04 school year, when members reported fees were being charged by 24 percent of schools.

The percentage of member schools charging fees crossed 50 percent in 2010-11 and remained at 50.5 percent in 2011-12 before making a nearly five-percent jump three school years ago.

The largest drop of those charging fees in 2014-15 came at Class B schools, with 52 percent reporting fees after 62 percent reported using them in 2013-14. Class A schools saw a seven-percent decrease to 70 percent with fees. Class D schools saw a four-percent decrease to 35 percent that assessed. Class C schools increased one percent to 47 percent assessing for participation.

Charging a standardized fee for each team on which a student-athletes participates – regardless of the number of teams – remains the most popular method among schools assessing fees, although that rate fell slightly from 41 percent of schools assessing during 2013-14 to 39 percent this school year. Schools charging a one-time standardized fee per student-athlete also fell, from 33 to 28 percent of schools that assess fees.

The survey showed a slight increase in schools assessing fees based on tiers of the number of sports a student-athlete plays (for example, charging a larger fee for the first team and less for additional sports). There also was a slight increase in fees being assessed based on the specific sport being played.

The median fee by schools that charged student-athletes per sport did drop $10 to $75. Other fees remained consistent from the 2013-14 school year: the median one-time student fee at $100, the median annual maximum fee per student at $150 and the median annual maximum family fee at $300.