Spring Hill and Battle Creek will play Class 4A football in the 2027-29 cycle, and Summit will compete in 6A.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) published its finalized football classifications Monday, Oct. 5. The placements, based on enrollment, locked in after the Friday, Oct. 2, deadline for schools to appeal or opt out of region play.

None of the three local programs appeared on the TSSAA's list of schools that changed classes, Jack Williams of the Columbia Daily Herald reported. Each school's placement matched its enrollment without an appeal.

Spring Hill's enrollment of 697 students slots the Raiders into 4A. Battle Creek, at 857 students, lands in the same class and currently plays in Region 5-4A. Summit's 1,628 enrollment places the Spartans in 6A, the state's largest football classification, according to enrollment data the Nashville Tennessean published Sept. 22.

All three programs compete in TSSAA Division I.

Nolensville heads to 6A

The biggest area shake-up belongs to Nolensville, which will play 6A football for the first time. The Knights' enrollment of 1,572 students pushed them out of 5A, where they had competed since 2021. Nolensville opened in 2016 as a 2A program, climbed to 4A from 2017 to 2020, and has steadily grown since.

Nashville-area movers

Several Nashville-area programs are changing classes. Pearl-Cohn drops from 4A to 2A based on its 486-student enrollment. The Firebirds went 63-18 in 4A since 2021, including a perfect 15-0 state championship season in 2023. East Nashville falls from 2A to 1A with 337 students, making it the fourth-largest school in that class.

What's next

The finalized list covers only class placement. The TSSAA is expected to release region and district assignments for all sports in mid-October, which will determine who Spring Hill, Battle Creek and Summit face in league play starting with the 2027 season.