Paschal has been reclassified to the 5A division, meaning they have fewer than 2,274 students. Paschal was in the 6A division, with over 3000 students in some schools. This means Paschal competed with some of Texas’s largest and most competitive schools. 

Moving down a division means much to Paschal because it will ultimately make the school more competitive. Due to this, Paschal will be one of the largest schools in their 5A division and should be one of the best in all sports. While in 6A, Paschal had to play powerhouses like North Crowley, who went 14-1 in football with their only loss to Duncanville in playoffs. Duncanville would go on to win the state championship. 

 Paschal wrestler Gabe Zvitt (11) states, “Since we’re moving down to 5A, we’re going to be able to get more wins. Also, we will be in a less competitive division.” 

This impacts Paschal football positively because they have not had a winning season since the 2013-14 season. With the switch to a lower division, Paschal will have experience playing better teams, which should translate to 5A, and be able to dominate the competition.

Successful teams like baseball went to the playoffs and finished last season 20-13, finishing 3rd in the district, so Paschal will have high expectations for this sport. Also, Paschal’s basketball is on the rise after a 19-14 season last year and losing in the playoffs. 

The drop to 5A for Paschal can be accounted for by the growing number of charter schools, a demographic change in neighborhoods, and an increasing drop-out rate. One example of this demographic change is the growth of North Crowley. They have grown 17% in enrollment over the past five years, and many of these students are great athletes. 

Overall, this move to 5A will allow Paschal to compete against schools with similar student populations, potentially leveling the playing field and increasing the chances of success in athletic competitions.