What Central Texas school could be dropping in class?

With University Interscholastic League enrollment snapshot day happening Friday, there’s one Austin-area school that already seems likely to be changing classifications for the 2026-28 cycle. 

After four years of being in Class 6A, Manor could be dropping back to 5A with a drastically lower enrollment number from the 2,570 it turned in two years ago for the current UIL cycle. 

Manor football coach and campus athletic coordinator James Keller confirmed to the American-Statesman Thursday that the school will submit a number “around 2,220” to the UIL following the removal of a number of students who attend Manor Excel Academy, which does not have athletics. 

Previously, students from Manor Excel Academy were included in Manor’s enrollment for UIL purposes. Keller thinks this probably boosted the Mustangs into Class 6A for the past two cycles. With those students no longer counted toward Manor’s enrollment — Manor Excel will be its own entity — it’s possible the Mustangs will drop to Class 5A considering the cutoff number between 5A and 6A for the current cycle is 2,274.

“The (cutoff) number has never gone down, but there’s talk it will this cycle with a declining enrollment across the state,” Keller said. “But you’ll never know until (the UIL) puts it out officially.” 

Though Manor’s football team made the playoffs its first year in Class 6A, the entire athletic department has struggled since moving to the state’s largest high school classification. No sport made the playoffs a year ago out of the loaded, nine-team District 25-6A, and the football team was 0-8 entering Friday’s game against McNeil. Keller noted that it’s an athletic department-wide challenge playing 6A schools, some of whom have significantly larger enrollments, with essentially 5A numbers. 

“We didn’t get any players from (Manor Excel Academy),” Keller noted. “In football, some of these schools have three freshman teams and multiple junior varsity teams. We have three teams total. And on varsity, a lot of our guys play both sides of the ball. That’s tough in 6A.” 

The UIL won’t release its official classifications until December, with official realignment to be announced in early February. If Manor does drop to Class 5A, Keller said he knows it won’t be easy but unthinks it will be a more level playing field for the Mustangs. 

“Numbers-wise, it would make a huge difference, and it would be good for not only the athletic department, but for all of our UIL activities,” he said.