Buckaroo football drops to 3A-Division II with UIL’s realignment, will face new opponents in 2026
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
With the new UIL district alignments for sports announced on Monday, Feb. 2, Breckenridge High School’s football and basketball teams will be facing new opponents next season, while the volleyball team will continue to play against the same schools as this year.
Due to enrollment numbers, the Buckaroo football team has been moved down to the 3A-Division II classification and will be in District 4 with Henrietta, Holliday, Jacksboro, Merkel and Wichita Falls City View.
Every two years, the UIL takes a look at school enrollments and sets enrollment ranges for each of the state’s six districts. For the football teams, five of the classifications are then separated into two divisions each. Then, a committee divides the schools into those districts and divisions.
(As a side note, the 6A schools are in one football classification up until the playoffs. The same applies to the volleyball and basketball classifications — one class for each enrollment category up until the playoffs.)
For the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, the enrollment categories are:
Class 1A: 104.9 and below
1A Division I: 57.6-104.9
1A Division II: 57.5 and below
Class 2A: 105-245
2A Division I: 175.6-245.9
2A Division II: 105-175.5
Class 3A: 246-549
3A Division I: 367-549
3A Division II: 246-366.9
Class 4A: 550-1,304
4A Division I: 896-1,304
4A Division II: 550-895
Class 5A: 1,305-2,214
5A Division I: 1,870-2,214
5A Division II: 1,305-1,869
Class 6A: 2,215 and above
To determine the enrollment for each school, the districts all submit their numbers for a specific date chosen by the UIL committee, known as the “Snapshot Day.” For this realignment, that date was Oct. 31, 2025.
On that date, Breckenridge High School had an enrollment of 358 students. That number is down from the 414 students who were enrolled on the 2023 Snapshot Day. That drop in enrollment put the Buckaroo football team in 3A-Division II.
Breckenridge’s enrollment of 358 puts the football team in the upper end of 3A-Division II. In District 4-3A-D2, Holliday has an enrollment of 363; Wichita Falls-City View is at 343; Jacksboro, 324; Merkel, 298; and Henrietta, 273.
Buckaroo and Lady Bucks Basketball
For next year’s basketball season, the Buckaroos will move to District 6-3A and will face a new slate of opponents:
Bowie
Henrietta
Holliday
Jacksboro
Vernon
Wichita Falls-City View
Lady Bucks Volleyball
In volleyball, the district that BHS is in has been renamed District 7-3A, but the opponents remain the same:
Comanche
Dublin
Early
Eastland
Millsap
Peaster
Tolar
Cutline, top photo: The 2025 Buckaroos run onto the field before their Homecoming game against Eastland in September. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
