High school football participation continues to decline
It’s important to note that the decline is merely a trickle, at some 5% per decade, but the trend shows no sign of reversing.
Smaller schools are finding it increasingly difficult to field a team. More than 20% of America’s high schools have no program for 11-player football.
While the nationwide trend is downward, the result is not consistent from state to state. Some states (Texas and Florida, for example) are actually increasing, while others (like New Jersey) are dropping far more rapidly than the national average.