Alice High School Reclassified to UIL Class 4A for 2026-28

Alice High School was reclassified to the University Interscholastic League Class 4A for the 2026–28 realignment, a change that will alter district opponents, travel and playoff brackets beginning with the 2026–27 school year. The move was announced Monday, Feb. 2, in a local announcement from the Alice Echo-News Journal.

Under the football alignment, Alice football will compete in UIL 4A Division I District 16 with Edcouch-Elsa, Hidalgo Early College, Pharr Valley View and Zapata. For basketball and several other sports, Alice will compete in District 31-4A alongside Beeville Jones, Calallen, Kingsville, Robstown and Tuloso-Midway, the local announcement stated. KRIS/KRISTV’s football lists reflect the District 16 membership for Alice and also show neighboring District 15 groupings that include Beeville Jones, Calallen, Tuloso-Midway and Corpus Christi King, Corpus Christi Miller, Corpus Christi Moody and Port Lavaca Calhoun, underscoring how football districts and other-sport districts differ.

The sport-by-sport distinction is a central piece of the realignment mechanics. The Coastal Bend coverage emphasized that "the other sports have their own unique districts," explaining why football and basketball districts can carry different numbers and opponents. That separation means Alice will face one slate of teams on the gridiron and a different slate on the hardwood and in volleyball, requiring athletic directors to manage separate schedules, travel plans and postseason strategies.

The reclassification is part of a statewide shift driven by UIL’s two-year reclassification and realignment process, which assigns schools based on enrollment bands. Under the current bands, Class 4A Division I includes 108 schools with enrollments of 896 to 1,304 students, and Class 4A Division II includes 97 schools with enrollments of 550 to 895 students. Statewide reporting shows a large list of schools moving into Class 4A from Class 5A and 3A, with Alice listed among those moving from 5A to 4A.

Local reaction was immediate on social media. The Alice Echo-News Journal Facebook post drew 114 reactions, 17 comments and 12 shares. Community responses ranged from optimism to questions about the split between sports: Doug Prishpread wrote, "Undefeated district champs for the next 2 years," while Sarah Perkins asked, "Wait, different sports from the same school are classified differently?" Rosendo A Ramirez posted, "I'm from the Valley n Coyotes should be district champions for the next 2 yrs. Easiest schedule I've seen," and Roman Gonzalez added, "Basketball has some hope now!"

Regional coaches framed the move as part of preserving local rivalries and creating competitive balance. Sinton head coach Michael Troutman said, "It's a neat thing playing local too. Y'all do such a great job of covering everybody. It's like you create those rivalries, the kids know each other and that's the great thing about playing South Texas football in the Coastal Bend." London head coach Andy Smith described an eight-team Coastal Bend-Valley footprint as "a great district, eight teams. Really excited about that on the football front."

For Alice High School, the practical work now shifts to scheduling, budgeting for travel and preparing athletes for a new set of opponents. As the district lists are sport-specific, the school’s athletic department will finalize game schedules and postseason planning ahead of the 2026–27 season while coaches, athletes and fans prepare for competition at the 4A level.