Scottsboro players + fans get excited during a timeout during the 5A championship. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz)

Alabama takes a lot of pride in its high school athletic programs.

Football reigns king of the state but the school spirit goes well beyond the gridiron. And when schools invest in that pride, their athletic programs become more well rounded.

Three Alabama high schools have been recognized for doing just that, landing in MaxPreps Top 25 Best Overall High School Athletic Programs in the country during the 2024-25 school year. Here’s who made the cut:

No. 5 Vestavia Hills
No. 19 Hoover
No. 21 Scottsboro

Alabama was the only state to put three different high schools in the top 25.

MaxPreps Top 25 Best Overall High School Athletic Programs

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MaxPreps built its list based on an algorithm using state championships, state runner-up finishes and placement in national rankings.

Vestavia Hills

Vestavia Hills, which ranked 83rd in MaxPreps rankings last year, dominated several 7A sports during the 2024-25 school year, winning state titles in:

Girls soccer
Boys and girls tennis
Boys golf
Boys track
Boys bowling

The Rebels girls soccer team was ranked 14th nationally according to MaxPreps. And although it wasn’t factored in, Vestavia Hills also had a nationally ranked girls flag football team in 2024.

Hoover

Dsc04590 Scaled E1755009376301 — Hoover coach Krystle Lawson with her fifth straight state title. (Caleb Turrentine / The Bama Buzz)

Hoover finished 13th in last year’s rankings, falling just six spots to No. 19. The Bucs continued their dominance on the hardwood and added state championships in boys + girls indoor track and girls track.

Scottsboro

Scottsboro may be the “surprise” team of the bunch if you mostly pay attention to high school football but this success is nothing new for the high school.

The Wildcats were 19th on last year’s list and finished 21st this year. They won seven team state championships including: