The Surge in High School Bowling

Picture a stage in a school gymnasium. A student-athlete sitting at a table, pen in hand. They slap a hat of their future school on their head, sign the papers in front of them, and the crowd goes wild. It sounds like a signing ceremony for a star football or basketball player, but this kid is not throwing deep balls or dishing up alley-oops. This kid is knocking down pins. 

Welcome to the new era of high school bowling, a sport that, though often overlooked in the traditional varsity pecking order for decades, is experiencing a renaissance. 

As of the 2024-2025 school year, 19 U.S. states now recognize bowling as an official varsity sport, with another 28 offering organized high school bowling at the club level. That is 47 states providing a pathway for students to grow, compete, learn team dynamics, and in many cases, earn scholarship money and a better road to college. 

It’s the latest peak in a relatively steady pattern of growth since participation saw a surge in the early 2000s. 61,291 high school students participated in bowling in the ‘24-’25 school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), making it one of the fastest-growing sports in U.S. high schools over that time. 

The momentum has only continued. Today’s student bowlers are not just recreational participants, they are developing into competitive athletes, college recruits, and even future employees for the centers where they train. For both the sport and the bowling industry, the impact has been profound. 

A SPORT FOR EVERYONE 

High school bowling stands out as one of the most inclusive sports on the roster. It offers students who might not fit into the physical molds of football, cheerleading, soccer, or track a chance to compete at a high level. 

“Our motto is: no one sits on the bench,” said Scott Devers, executive director of the Indiana Bowling Centers Association. “It is a way for everyone to play, even if you have a disability. Makes for a very wholesome, family-friendly sport.” 

This accessibility helps foster self-esteem, structure, and community, which is particularly important for teens who might otherwise spend their afternoons glued to a screen. “It gets them out of the house, off their phones, and into a team environment,” said Brad Sommer, a coach, district leader, and manager of Don Carter Lanes in Rockford, IL. “It does not matter if you are the fastest or the strongest or the tallest. If you are willing to put in the work, you can really succeed.” 

In many places, the sport has become so popular that middle school leagues are also forming to create a pipeline into varsity-level competition. In Rockford, one of the country's hotbeds for high school bowling, middle school participation is now routine. “As proprietors, we’re always working to make sure we have a strong youth program,” said Sommer. “You have got to start them as early as you can and pair dedicated coaches with them. And it is not easy; it takes a lot of work.” 

SCHOLARSHIPS, SCOUTS AND THE COLLEGE CONNECTION 

As the level of competition has increased, so has the support behind it. Across multiple states, millions of dollars in scholarship money have been awarded to high school bowlers. In Rockford alone, over $2 million in scholarships have been given away over the decades. In Indiana, more than $60,000 has been distributed in just the past five years. 

“High school bowling is now a real college pipeline,” says Jenny Martin-Clarke, executive director of the Ohio Bowling Center Association. “We have had college coaches at our state finals, a lot of active recruiting [is] going on. At our all-star tournament in southwest Ohio, a lot of coaches come to watch the kids they are hoping to bring onto their teams.” 

Michigan has embraced this pipeline with increasing success, thanks to decades of dedication from centers and conference leaders. Bo Goergen, a longtime program head and proprietor of Northern Lanes, attributes the state’s growth to collaboration. “After a slow start and some funding challenges, we have built systems that help centers recoup investment, and we’ve grown steadily over the last 12 to 15 years.” 

Goergen’s family-run center has produced some of the state’s top talent, including helping to develop a young man out of Saginaw who’s won two of the last three state titles. “As long as we can educate more bowlers on league and competitive bowling, we’ll see more of them come back to our centers,” Goergen said, echoing a maxim passed down to him by his father and grandfather. 

A WIN FOR BOWLING CENTERS 

The ascendance of high school bowling has been a game-changer for owners across the country as well. Faced with aging customer bases, declining league participation, and variable income streams, this new crop of passionate bowlers has provided a vital new avenue to revenue. 

“Youth bowling is crucial, with proper coaching and training,” said Goergen. “It teaches kids how to bowl competitively the right way before they even get to high school. Programs like Kids Bowl Free, our connections with the schools, they have all been so great for that.” 

In Michigan, centers often have direct input on coaching hires; schools trust them to find qualified mentors, which frees up districts from the burdens of job postings or additional staff hiring. Moreover, today’s high school bowlers often return to the centers that trained them—either to bowl in adult leagues or to work part-time. “It is a great feeder system,” says Devers. “We see a lot of them come back to work behind the counter or in some other capacity. We like to say we are very good at recycling people who have grown up in bowling.” 

Centers can also benefit financially by hosting team practices, matches, and tournaments. In many states, partnerships between state athletic associations and local centers are helping stabilize what was once an unpredictable business. 

BARRIERS TO EXPANSION 

Still, the path forward is not without obstacles. Chief among them: space limitations and funding shortages. 

“Bowling has gone crazy here in Ohio. But if every school in a given area who had interest wanted to launch a team, there just would not be enough lanes to support it,” said Martin-Clarke, who has helped oversee amazing growth in her region. “Even now, it is hard to find centers with enough room for everyone to practice, train, and compete.” 

Early on in their push to officially recognize high school bowling in the state, Martin-Clarke and her Ohio group had to hire a staff member to work directly with the Ohio High School Athletic Association to get bowling recognized as a varsity sport. “Since then, after they finally saw the benefit to these kids and the schools and our businesses, we have not had to recruit schools. They come to us, or they come to the centers,” she said. 

But funding remains a thorny issue in many communities. In Indiana, Devers notes that many rural areas struggle to get the sport officially approved as a budgeted item. “It’s especially tough in places where the nearest center might be 30 or 40 miles away,” he said.  

In Michigan, where some sports were cut in the aftermath of the Covid quarantine, youth bowling only survived due to persistent advocacy by conference leaders and proprietors who pushed for cost-recovery models. Still, it left a long-lasting mark. “It was a tough time,” said Goergen. “Coaching, training, it all took a hit. Some of the momentum we had really slowed down. But we are getting back.” 

Budget tightening among state athletic associations has further complicated growth. While official numbers vary by state, NFHS and other high school athletic bodies have reported a lot of stagnant or declining budgets since 2020. That makes new sport adoption more difficult, even when a program overall is thriving. 

THE BRIGHT ROAD AHEAD 

Despite these hurdles, the outlook for high school bowling in America is overwhelmingly positive. The sport has established itself as a powerful blend of athletic competition, personal growth, and community connection. And for an industry that is always seeking a steady way to engage the next generation, it’s nothing short of a lifeline—and a pipeline for passion and talent. 

“Bowling is really the perfect inclusive sport,” said Sommer. “Especially at these early levels. It is a win for school administrators, a win for parents, and a huge win for the kids.” 

“Ohio’s a very strong bowling state and a lot of communities rally around their bowling centers,” said Martin-Clarke. “We have to make sure we keep doing right by these kids and it’ll continue to pay back tenfold.” 

From small-town Indiana to metro Detroit, from Rockford’s middle schools to southwest Ohio’s community hubs, the message is clear: high school bowling is not just having a moment. It is building a movement.