Sports & Athletics

Lacrosse

Category:: Sports & Athletics
Season:: Spring (practice from late January)

Lacrosse is on the GCPS list of spring sports each high school provides. Boys and girls play different versions of the game, with different rules and gear, and GHSA runs both seasons to a state final in mid-May.

What Lacrosse is

A GHSA varsity sport for boys and girls, with JV at many schools.
A spring season. GHSA's first practice is Jan. 25, 2027; matches start Feb. 8, 2027.
Two games: boys lacrosse allows body checks and uses helmets and pads; girls lacrosse limits contact and uses goggles and mouthguards.
A sport many students pick up in 9th grade, especially athletes from soccer, basketball or football.

What Lacrosse is not

Not a middle school GCPS sport. Lacrosse is not on the district middle school list; youth clubs are separate.
Not club lacrosse. Summer and fall club teams are outside school.
Not the same game for boys and girls.
Not cheap to start. Ask what gear the program loans.

Who runs it

The boys and girls lacrosse coaches at the school, under the athletic director. GHSA sets dates, eligibility rules and the state tournament. GCPS sets paperwork through Rank One.

Who coaches at your child's school is a school question. Ask the front office or the athletic director. GCPS Insider does not keep a live coach list and cannot tell you who the coach is. Please do not email us to find a coach, tryout date, practice time, fee, or roster.

Season at a glance (2026–27)

When	What happens
Fall 2026	Off-season workouts or wall-ball at some schools.
Jan. 25, 2027	GHSA first practice.
Feb. 8, 2027	First matches.
April 22, 2027	Area play completed.
From April 27, 2027	State tournament rounds.
May 13–15, 2027	GHSA state finals.

By grade

Middle: Lacrosse is not on the GCPS middle school sports list. Youth clubs and rec leagues are where most players start.
High: Varsity and JV. Beginners often start on JV in 9th or 10th grade.

Eligibility and paperwork (2026–27)

Rank One first. GCPS uses Rank One for athletic paperwork. A student cannot condition, try out, practice or compete until the parent has signed the consent forms there and a current physical is uploaded. The student must be enrolled at that school. GCPS instructions
Physical. GCPS uses a four-page physical form: the family fills in pages 1–2 (medical history), the doctor completes pages 3–4, and all four pages go into Rank One. GHSA By-Law 1.41 requires a physical every year by an MD, DO, nurse practitioner or physician assistant before any tryout or practice. A physical done on or after April 1, 2026 covers the full 2026–27 school year.
Grades. Under GCPS rules, students entering 9th grade for the first time are eligible their first semester. After that, a student must have passed five of six classes the semester before and be on track to graduate. GHSA also counts credits: 5 units before 10th grade, 11 before 11th, and 17 before 12th. Eligibility is set on the first day of each semester.
Attendance. GCPS says a student who is absent more than half the school day, or who serves in-school suspension, cannot practice or play that day.
Eight semesters. GHSA allows eight consecutive semesters of high school eligibility, counted from the first time a student enters 9th grade.
Transfers. GHSA By-Law 1.62 treats most students who change schools without a bona fide family move as ineligible for varsity for 365 days; they may still play sub-varsity. Talk to the athletic director at the new school before you move, not after.
Theme and online programs. GCPS students at theme schools and online programs that do not field their own teams generally play for the school they would ordinarily attend. Ask the athletic director at that school how it works.

Rules are from the 2026–27 GHSA Constitution (ghsa.net) and GCPS athletics pages. If anything here conflicts with what the athletic director tells you, the athletic director wins.

Time and logistics

Practice most weekdays and weeknight matches. Boys players need a full set of protective gear. Ask whether the program has loaner gear for new players.

Money

There is no single GCPS price for this sport, and we will not quote one. Ask what families cover: shoes or gear, practice wear, any booster or team fee, camps, travel and spirit packs. Ask what the school provides, and ask quietly about help if the cost is a barrier. Club and travel teams outside school are separate costs and separate commitments.

How Georgia scores it

GHSA lacrosse uses area play to seed the state tournament. A resume line should give varsity years, position and any all-area honor. Club is a separate line.

Who it tends to fit

Good fit: an athlete who likes speed and stick skills, including newcomers willing to practice.
Think twice: if the family cannot cover gear or the student already has a spring sport.

How kids get on Lacrosse

Ask the coach about fall wall-ball or workouts.
Finish Rank One and the physical.
Ask whether beginners are welcome.
Ask about loaner gear.

Not every sport, level or team exists at every GCPS school, and rosters and offerings change year to year. Confirm at your child's school before you plan around it.

Questions to ask the coach

Are beginners welcome?
Do you loan gear?
How many players do you keep on varsity and JV?
What does a typical week look like?
How do you handle club players?
What gear do we buy?
Is there any cost?
Do you help with college recruiting?

Schools we have seen list Lacrosse

Still verifying. We have not published a school-by-school list for this sport and we will not invent one. Browse the schools directory and check a school's own athletics page, and tell us what your school offers — that link is for adding a school, not for asking who the coach is.

What to do this week

Ask the coach whether new players are welcome and what gear to get before Jan. 25, 2027.

Related: Soccer · Tennis · Baseball · Track & Cross Country

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