Let the analysis begin.
Central Texas high schools found out their district assignments for the next two years Monday in the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment process that determines opponents, travel and has playoff implications. There will be many complaints across the state, including from the Austin area, regarding the length of some road trips and decisions that have some schools who neighbor each other in different districts.
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But whether it’s Lake Travis or Granger, realignment day is one of the biggest days of the year for area athletic departments every two years.
Here are some takeaways from the UIL’s decisions for the 2026-28 cycle that brought enormous change for some and little for others:
Schools, people and groups who benefited
Dripping Springs: The Tigers are the big realignment winners in Central Texas. Though football coach and athletic director Galen Zimmerman lamented not being in the same district as Lake Travis and Westlake, his school’s trophy case could fill up with district titles the next two years. The Tigers, who also avoided Vandegrift, are the athletic heavyweight in District 26-6A with Johnson, Hays, Del Valle, Austin High, Bowie and Akins. Dripping Springs is the fourth largest school in the district, meaning it also has a good chance to be Division II most of the time for the playoffs, too.
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Austin High and Bowie: Outside of one cycle when the Maroons dropped to Class 5A, both schools have always been in a district with Lake Travis and Westlake. They still have to deal with Dripping Springs, but playoff appearances could dramatically increase for both athletic departments in a much more manageable district.
The Shoal Creek Showdown: Sure, having the Anderson and McCallum rivalry matchup at House Park to open every season on a Thursday night in August was great. But now the game has extra significance because it’s a district contest. Both teams should be in the playoff mix when they meet Week 8 in mid-October.
Anderson quarterback Mason Randolph (9) runs the ball through McCallum defense in the second half of the Shoal Creek Showdown as the McCallum Knights and Anderson Trojans open their football season at House Park in Austin, Aug. 28, 2025. The Trojans won the game 37-2. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
Bastrop and Pflugerville football: Placed in a small, six-team district with Crockett, LASA, Navarro and Elgin in Class 5A Division II, the Bears and Panthers seem like shoo-ins to be the district’s top two seeds in the postseason the next two years. The downside? The bi-district matchups against Houston-area teams in Region III won’t be easy.
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Anderson: Apart from football, Anderson was kept in the same 5A district it’s currently in with five other Austin school district programs and the two Bastrop schools. It will be the district title favorite in most sports and seems assured of playoff appearances across the board.
Vandegrift Vipers wide receiver Thomas Buechler (5) makes a reception as C. E. King Panthers linebacker Damian Broussard (49) arrives with the tackle in the second quarter as the Vipers play the Panthers in the Class 6A Division II state semi-final game at McClane Stadium in Waco, Dec. 13, 2025. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
The one school that received a mixed result?
Vandegrift.
The Vipers avoid Dripping Springs, Lake Travis and Westlake and will be the favorite in District 24-6A in most sports. But their playoff path in some sports, especially football and basketball, just became incredibly difficult by being moved into the Houston-dominated Region III.
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Those to whom the UIL did no favors
Round Rock ISD: Thrown in a district with Lake Travis and Westlake, playoff bids won’t be easy to come by for the five Round Rock ISD schools. The upside for schools like McNeil and Stony Point is that if they qualify for the postseason, they’ll be in Division II.
Liberty Hill and Legacy Ranch: Get ready to travel, Liberty Hill ISD fans. Apart from when they play each other, their shortest trip in football is 82 miles (assuming the bus drivers want to brave I-35) to New Braunfels as they’re in a district with San Antonio-area schools. In the other sports, the UIL sent them north into a district with Belton, Killeen and Waco schools. Oh, and they’re also in Region II, meaning a first-round playoff matchup against a team from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Area Class 5A Division I schools: Both the local districts have nine teams and feature heavyweights from outside the area. Georgetown and the three Pflugerville ISD schools have to deal with College Station and A&M Consolidated in District 12. In District 13, two-time defending state champion Smithson Valley and a perennially good Boerne Champion await Anderson, Manor and McCallum. Playoff berths will definitely be earned in both districts.
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LBJ football: Another district title will be a challenge for the Jaguars. San Antonio Davenport and Canyon Lake are perennially strong programs that will make this district race a fun one.
Football travel budgets: The Liberty Hill schools aren’t the only ones who’ll be spending a large amount on gas. In just a few examples, Wimberley and Lago Vista have to travel to Giddings, the Class 5A Division I teams will make multiple trips to College Station and Killeen, and Taylor has to go to Fredericksburg. Hopefully local athletic directors have a fuel discount or rewards card.