As expected, no real changes to NJSIAA football classifications in 2025, but non-public multipliers see changes

The NJSIAA typically does classifications for each sport every two years, based on enrollment, but occasionally is forced to make changes in the middle of the two-year cycle.

For 2025, there aren’t many changes.

The only real “change,” in fact, was the merger of Jackson Memorial and Jackson Liberty High Schools into Jackson Township High School, with the new school being moved up to Group 5 in the South supersection. Previously, Memorial had been in South Group 4 with Liberty in South Group 3. Now, the district – due to cost-cutting and decreased overall enrollment – has merged the schools, leaving them with one football tam.

Enrollment for Memorial was listed at 1,068 last season, while Liberty was at 844. The combined attendance of the new Group 5 school is 1,828 in 2025-26, a drop of 84 students from the two schools combined last school year, 2024-25.

Two other changes were minor, at least in relation to the rest of their sections. Newark East Side will not be fielding a team this year, and has been removed from the North Group 5 supersection. Nor will Newark Academy in Livingston, which has been removed from Non-Public Group B.

Click below to download the NJSIAA Football Classifications for 2025, as published on the association’s website:

As far as multipliers go, there were some significant changes across all four “category” the NJSIAA now uses in its system. Just like last year, a win over any of those teams still gets the full value of a win using OSI. However, those that lost to a Category A team get 80 percent – rather than 50 percent – of the team’s value. Losses to a Category B team are worth 75 percent, while Categories C and D are worth 70 percent.

If a Category A, B or C school is defeated anytime in Weeks 0 through 8 by a non-multiplier school (public or non-public), they are moved down to Category D automatically, affecting all games played previously and the remainder of the season. Any Category D team – whether they started there or not – that loses to a non-multiplier will lose its multiplier status.

Essentially, schools starting the year as a Category A, B or C must lose two games to non-multipliers to lose all multiplier status. Those starting in Category D will lose that status after just one defeat.

Locally-speaking, St. Thomas Aquinas was moved from Category B last season to Category C for 2025. St. Joseph-Metuchen did not move, remaining in Category D.

But there were other changes. While Bergen Catholic and St. Joseph-Montvale remain in Category A from last year, Delbarton was demoted to B, while Red Bank Catholic was sent to C. DePaul and Don Bosco Prep move up from B to take their place.

In Category C, Seton Hall Prep joins STA in moving down from B, while St. John Vianney moves up from D. Notre Dame (Category D last season) and Donovan Catholic (Category B) were completely stripped of multiplier status. The Fighting Irish went 6-5 last year with three non-multiplier losses, plus a non-NJSIAA defeat to Pennington. The Griffins went just 2-7 last season, with four non-multiplier losses.

Here are the multipliers and their categories for the 2025 football season:

• Category A: Bergen Catholic, DePaul, Don Bosco Prep, St. Joseph-Montvale
• Category B: Delbarton, Pope John, St. Augustine
• Category C: Holy Spirit, Paramus Catholic, Red Bank Catholic, Seton Hall Prep, St. John Vianney, St. Peter’s Prep, St. Thomas Aquinas
• Category D: Paul VI, St. Joseph-Metuchen