AUSTIN – Monday saw the release of the new University Interscholastic League (UIL) realignment configurations.
The district assignments are tentative for public schools across the state, and good for the years 2026-28 for football, volleyball and basketball. These configurations are re-drawn every two years, and contingent on enrollment numbers.
According to reports, 150 Texas high schools were assigned to new districts. In Tyler County, for the five school districts, none of the districts moved up or down in terms of classification (all five remain 1A, 2A and 3A classifications) but some of the schools found themselves in different, or shuffled around, districts.
For the county’s lone 1A school, Chester ISD, which competes in six-man football, the move was from District 12 to 13. The Yellowjackets’ competitors will include Burkeville; Gilmer Union Hill and Laird Hill Leverett’s Chapel. Of note is that Chester’s longtime rival in Trinity County, Apple Springs, moves to Division II, District 15, to compete against Buckholts, Calvert and High Island.
For basketball, Chester and Spurger both are put into District 28, which includes Leggett; Hull-Daisetta; High Island; Goodrich; Burkeville and Brookeland.
Chester and Spurger’s volleyball district is District 24 of the 1A classification, which sees the Lady Jackets up against Burkeville and Leggett.
Colmesneil ISD, which is a 2A school, keeps its D II District 12 footing, with the Bulldogs competing in football against Deweyville; Evadale; Sabine Pass; Saratoga West Hardin and Hull-Daisetta. For basketball, the Bulldogs and Lady Dogs will compete in District 24 against Dallardsville Big Sandy; Deweyville; Evadale; Hemphill; Sabine Pass; Saratoga West Hardin and West Sabine.
The District 24 volleyball district has Colmesneil up against Evadale; Deweyville; Sabine Pass and Saratoga West Hardin.
For Warren and Woodville, the two 3A schools in the county, both continue to inhabit the D II Region 3 District 12 slate, with Hardin, Kountze, New Waverly and Newton. That district is the same as it was in the 2024 realignment, save for the dropping of Anderson-Shiro, Hardin and Trinity.
In basketball, Warren is in District 22, competing against schools like Orangefield, Kountze, Kirbyville and Buna, while Woodville is in District 21, against Diboll, Huntington, Central Heights and Newton. That district denotation for volleyball is the same for Woodville, but Warren will compete in that district, as well.
The UIL’s biennial realignment process does two things: it confirms which school are moving up or down in classification, according to enrollment cut-off numbers that are released in December and reveals, through the district lineups, which teams will play which for the next two seasons.
