The Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association’s reclassification numbers for 2014-2016 – released last week – will likely mean a drop to 3A for Auburn and Auburn Riverside high schools starting in the fall of 2014.

The two schools would join Auburn Mountainview, which competes in Class 3A.

“We’re preparing to be a 3A district,” Auburn School District Athletic Director Rob Swaim said. “Our goal is to be together, that’s the big piece. We want to have all the schools together and grow those district rivalries.”

The preliminary numbers show Auburn and Auburn Riverside’s enrollment at 1,080 and 1,200, respectively. Both schools are members of the South Puget Sound League North 4A. Auburn Mountainview (1,158) meanwhile competes in the SPSL 3A.

The cutoff enrollment number for each of the state’s six classifications won’t be officially determined until the Jan. 27-28 WIAA executive board meeting.

Every two years the WIAA reclassifies the state’s schools, with 66 schools allotted each for the 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A classes, with 63 schools apiece slated the 2B and 1B, this go around.

Once classified, schools can choose to opt up to a higher class, which Auburn did in 2010, moving up from the 3A. Each school that opts up bumps the lowest enrollment school in that classification down to the next classification. Schools have until Jan. 7 to opt up.

Once the classifications are finalized, schools have the option to join existing leagues or form new leagues.

According to Swaim, that leaves the possibility open for a SPSL 3A league featuring all three Auburn schools, as well as Sumner, Bonney Lake and Enumclaw, among others.

“We want to compete with our neighbors Sumner, Enumclaw and Bonney Lake,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll also be able to play nonleague games still and keep those old rivalries alive also, like the Taylor Trophy (contested annually by Kent-Meridian and Auburn).”

Auburn and Auburn Riverside were classified 3A in 2006-2008.

Enrollment numbers for Auburn Adventist (180) have the school staying at 2B and the Muckleshoot Tribal School (81) will likely remain in 1B.