Football is king in Texas, right? I've always been a huge fan, especially of high school football. There's just something special when the community shows up en masse to pack the stands and support their hometown teams.

A few of the things I love about high school football games

  • When the band plays the National Anthem
  • I know most teams run through inflatables these days, but I miss the old days, watching the teams bust through the massive paper banner displaying witty phrases like 'Tame the Tigers' or 'Clip the Eagles'.
  • When the cheerleaders throw out the mini-footballs to the crowd, and there's always that one cheerleader who can launch one to the back row of the bleachers
  • Concession stand nachos, especially when you know the person in charge of putting the cheese on them.

I was looking forward to experiencing all this again with my kids, but then, a funny thing happened.  My children ended up going to Hudson High School, which happens to NOT have a football program.

Learning to Adjust

At first, I was trying to figure out a way to move my kids into a school district that had football. But, as my kids excelled in such sports as soccer, basketball, track, and swimming, I found myself becoming more passionate about those sports than I had ever been about football.

Fun Fact About Hudson High School

It's the largest high school in Texas (enrollment-wise) that doesn't have a football program.  At least, that's what I have heard quite a few people say through the years. But, is it true? I decided to do some research and find out.

The Ten Largest Texas High Schools Without a Football Program

In looking through enrollment numbers, I realized that I would need to make a stipulation or two. In order to be considered, the high school would need to have at least a team or two that competes within the University Interscholastic League of Texas.  Many specialty schools that carry the name such as 'Early College' or 'STEM' or 'Academy of Sciences' do not have an athletics department and therefore were not considered for this top ten list.

HERE WE GO

  1. San Antonio Fox Tech - They compete at the UIL level in basketball, soccer, tennis, track, cross country and many others, but no football.  With an enrollment of half a person short of 1200 (however you accomplish that), they are the largest Texas high school without a football team.
  2. Houston Carnegie Vanguard - They are one of these 'specialty' schools that I alluded to earlier, however, they do have a baseball program that plays within the UIL, so that meets the criteria I established earlier.  Their enrollment is 913 students.
  3. Hudson High School - So, no, the home of the Hornets is not the biggest Texas school without a football program, but with an enrollment of 824, they came in the top three.
  4. Cumberland Academy - Located in Tyler, the Knights have an enrollment of 632, and they compete in UIL soccer, basketball, baseball, and volleyball.
  5. Belton New Tech - We could put an asterisk on this one.  This school opened just a year ago, and they are expected to transition to having a wide line-up of sports, but for now, football is not played there.  Their enrollment is 425.6.
  6. Georgetown Gateway - This school located north of Austin has an enrollment of 419.  They compete in a number of UIL sports including softball, volleyball, baseball and basketball.
  7. Central High School - The Bulldogs have an enrollment of 382.  They are located just northwest of Lufkin, Texas, and just north of fellow-non-football-school Hudson.
  8. Presidio High School - The Blue Devils are located in Big Bend Country, right on the border with Mexico.  With a high school enrollment of 360, they could probably field a football team but given their proximity to other schools, hours and hours of bus time would be a major deterrent.
  9. Brooks Academy of Science & Engineering - Based in San Antonio, this high school of 343 competes within the UIL in several sports including basketball...but, not football.
  10. Mt.Pleasant Chapel Hill High School - They have an enrollment of 340.

Here are a few more East Texas schools just outside the Top Ten:

  • Central Heights - an enrollment of 337 puts the Blue Devils at #11
  • Onalaska - The Wildcats on Lake Livingston have an enrollment of 321
  • Pineywoods Community Academy - The Lufkin school has an enrollment of 258

What's the Smallest Texas School with an 11-man Football Program?

That would Runge High School.  They have a high school enrollment of 70 which would qualify them to play at the Class A/Six-Man Football level, however, they play up to the 2A level to mix it up with some much bigger schools.

With so many schools to go through and so many variables in play, I may have left out a school or two.  Please feel free to update me with the correct information.

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