It’s not just the numbers that will keep Center Point-Urbana in Class 3A next year.

It’s the letters, too.

For the second straight school year, CPU is tied for 112th — the breakoff line for classes 2A and 3A in most sports — in the state in enrollment. And once again, the alphabet will bump them in with the larger schools.

Here’s how:

CPU and Bondurant-Farrar both have an enrollment figure of 301 (in grades 9-11 this school year) according to the state’s BEDS Documents. In ties in enrollment, the school last alphabetically goes to the larger class for the 2009-10 school year.

That’s Center Point-Urbana.

“I just got off the phone with (Iowa High School Athletic Association official) Todd Tharp, and he said we would probably be the smallest 3A school again,” said Dan Rosendahl, athletics director at CPU. “The only thing that would bump us down is if (there’s a merger) out there somewhere.”

Last year, CPU and Spirit Lake were tied for the 112th spot with 300 students. The school listed first alphabetically was bumped to 3A for the 2008-09 school year.

That was CPU.

“It’s kind of a fluky deal, but you can’t worry about it,” Rosendahl said. “We’ll go play who the state says we have to play.

“This is why we joined the (Wamac) Conference, because we thought we would become a 3A school.”