Girls’ high school sports growing the most in popularity

The number of female participants in more than 60 high school sports was analyzed from 2018 to 2024 to reveal the ranking.

The new study has revealed the girls’ high school sports that have increased the most in popularity, with wrestling taking a surprising first place.

Women betting community BettingLadies.com analyzed female participation for 64 high school sports from the 2018/19 to the 2023/24 school years, to determine which had the largest increase.

Val Martinez, CEO of BettingLadies.com said, “The stereotype that sports are for boys has been changing over the past few decades, with inclusion being at the forefront of most sporting events now. Deloitte has just released data that elite women’s sports revenue is rising at a much faster pace than expected and now predicts it will reach at least $2.35 billion globally in 2025.

“A love of sports for many starts in high school, and when that passion is nurtured, it has the potential to turn into a career.

“What we’re seeing now is that sports that were often dominated by men, like wrestling, are becoming more popular with women due to increased opportunities, better support systems, and a growing recognition of female athletes’ achievements.”

Survey results
Wrestling
Wrestling has been named as the high school sport that has gained the most in popularity for girls’, with participation increasing by more than 200 percent.

Wrestling has gained the most popularity, with 43,133 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19.

Wrestling is a combat sport, with the goal being to force the opponent to touch the ground with a part of their body other than their feet, hold them in a certain position or hold them for a certain amount of time.

In the 2018/19 school year, there were 21,124 female participants in the sport, rising to 64,257 by the end of 2024, an increase of 204 percent.

In 2020, the NCAA added women’s wrestling to the Emerging Sports for Women program, and the first official NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship is scheduled for winter 2026.

Flag football
Flag football is second, with 31,746 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19.

Flag football is a non-contact version of American football, where the defensive team must pull off one of the opposing team’s flags to end a play.

In 2018/19, 11,209 girls participated in flag football, rising to 42,955 in 2023/24, an increase of 283 percent.

Flag football is set to make its first appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In 2020, in collaboration with the NFL, the NAIA introduced women’s flag football as a varsity sport, with competitions beginning in the 2020/21 season.

Volleyball
In third is volleyball, with 26,317 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19.

Volleyball is one of the world’s most popular team sports and involves players trying to score points by grounding the ball on the other team’s side of the net.

As the second most popular sport for girl’ in both school years, participation increased from 452,808 in 2018/19 to 479,125 in 2023/2, just under 6 percent.

In early 2025, LOVB launched a professional women’s indoor volleyball league in the US, featuring six teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Omaha, and Salt Lake City.

Competitive spirit
Competitive spirit is fourth, with 19,665 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19.

Competitive spirit or competitive cheerleading involves teams competing against each other, performing routines with various stunts, jumps, tumbling, and dance routines. In 2018/19, there were 161,358 female participants, rising to 181,023 in 2023/24.

Outdoor track and field
Outdoor track and field is fifth, with 17,748 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19.

Outdoor track and field includes events like running, jumping, and throwing and has consistently been the most popular girls’ high school sport. In 2018/19, there were 488,267 female participants, which increased to a massive 506,015 in 2023/24.

Dance
Sixth is dance, with 12,060 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19. Participation rose from just 9,790 in 2018/19 to 21,850 in 2023/24.

Tennis
Tennis is seventh, with 6,330 more female participants in the 2023/24 school year compared to 2018/19. In 2018/19, there were 189,436 participants, rising to 195,766 in 2023/24.

Golf, weightlifting and trap shooting
Golf, weightlifting and trap shooting round out the top 10. Golf participation has increased by 3,015, weightlifting by 2,538, and trap shooting by 1,860.