Are Public Schools Irrelevant? Prep Academies Taking Over Youth Sports

Don’t miss the next big story. Sign up now for our FREE weekly newsletter.

—

Prep vs. Public

Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins made his name as a key contributor on the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics. A quiet, stoic, and mysterious force of nature on the hardwood, the large rim protector let his game do the talking. The 6’10” giant rarely spoke, instead letting his stonefaced silence intimidate his opponents. 

Since his retirement, though, he’s made a complete 180. Loud, brash, humorous, and outspoken, Perkins has become a popular fixture in modern sports media. Perkins also has two young sons whom he’s training to be a part of the next generation of athletes. Recently on his Road Trippin’ podcast, Perkins used his distinct Texas drawl to give a new hot take about youth sports: public school is a waste of time. 

The comments have drawn some criticism on social media, but parents and schools are taking notice. Prep academies are taking over youth sports as public school enrollment declines. 

“If you have any plans on playing basketball past high school at any level, regular public school is not the [expletive] answer,” Perkins said last week on Road Trippin’.  “They’re wasting three hours of their day, doing [expletive] at that school that’s not benefiting them, and they’re getting behind the eight ball. Athletes around the country, those top-tier players, the ones that are taking basketball [seriously], they are either in homeschool or prep school.”

He received some pushback from co-host and former NBA player Channing Frye, who heralded the positives of “regular” school.

“If you can’t wake up in the morning, get your work done, go to school, go to practice, do it the old-school way, I believe you’re not going to become a well-rounded person,” he responded.  “Now listen, the first two years you can go to regular school. If you are nice like that, then do what everyone else is doing and [move] their kids to these prep schools. But to go four years at prep school where your whole value as a human being is basketball, I think it’s dangerous.” 

“All these young kids are dealing with mental health because their whole value is basketball,” Frye continued. “They’ve never had, ‘oh I like science, or I like art, I’ve never had a chance to spend time on that.’ It’s only basketball, so that’s where they find their value. Listen, I’m just saying why all these young kids are having mental health issues.”  

Whether or not you agree with Perkins or Frye, the culture and education system in the U.S. is undeniably changing.

Declining Enrollment

A recent story from The Hill shows that public school enrollment in general is declining “by the millions” in the U.S., which could lead to falling resources. A combination of low birth rates, greater interest in homeschooling, and school choice voucher programs have contributed to a decline in public school enrollment in the last half-decade. According to the report, the decline is projected to continue for the next five years. As schools lose students, they lose funding–meaning larger class sizes, fewer teachers, and fewer resources.  

On Wednesday, Prep Hoops writer Michael Roth noted the amount of talent that has left the Kentucky high school basketball scene. Nearly a dozen major Kentucky basketball prospects, like number one-ranked Class of 2026 star Tyran Stokes, have left for prep academies in states like Florida, Georgia, and California. 

Some of the biggest, wealthiest, and most successful sports programs are still public schools, especially in states like Texas. Allen, Duncanville, and DeSoto are all Texas public schools that consistently rank among the best in the sports world. But prep boarding schools like IMG Academy and Prolific Prep are growing every single year. 

These aren’t just private schools; they are sports-focused academies where sports training is the main focus. They often create their own schedules and don’t compete in leagues run by local state high school associations. Prep academies are more akin to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. Children come from around the world to get specific training on how to be a great wizard–or in this case, a great athlete in their specific sport. As a matter of fact, large prep boarding schools like IMG resemble how youth sports have always worked across the pond.

The Beautiful Game

In most other parts of the world, youth academies have been the standard since time immemorial. One of the greatest soccer players of all time, Lionel Messi, left his Argentina home at just 13 to train exclusively in Spain at F.C. Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia. Though most soccer athletes do get somewhat of a formal education, prodigies are scooped up at a young age by major soccer clubs and trained in their sport year-round until they are ready to go pro.

The United States and Canada are the only major countries to run big-time youth sports mainly through a typical school system.  International sports stars like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic have been playing professional basketball since they were teenagers, and both attended rigorous academies. When you dedicate your life to your craft at a young age, it can surely pay dividends.

But great talent, as always, shines wherever it lands. Most of the athletes drafted in the NFL and NBA are still products of traditional private and public schools. Kids still scribble on desks, ride the bus, and run to 4th period chemistry just like they always have.

But as aspects of professionalism and money continue to flow into youth sports, prep academies are starting to leave public school behind.