As the foundation of China’s youth amateur training system, sports schools have become a cradle for cultivating outstanding sports talents for provincial and national sports teams. Their role and contribution to talent development are of great significance. Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province is home to 10 sports schools, which have produced 400 outstanding reserve sports talents for both Jiangsu and the country since their establishment. These schools rank at a mid-level in terms of development within Jiangsu Province and hold certain representational value for case studies of sports schools across China. Findings: This study, based on the integration of sports and education and the policy context of the "14th Five-Year Plan for National Sports Development," focuses on the 10 sports schools in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. The research utilizes methods such as literature review, expert interviews, surveys, and field investigations to conduct an in-depth analysis of the current development status and basic situation of sports schools in Yancheng. It also comprehensively summarizes the challenges and influencing factors affecting these schools. Finally, the study provides a detailed discussion on how to promote the high-quality development of sports schools, improve cultural education, and strengthen the teacher workforce, offering development paths for the future. 1) The proportion of students rating the quality of enrollment as “very good” and “good” is only 7.2% and 16.0%, respectively. 2) In terms of the age structure of coaches, 44% are over 50 years old. Among the coaching staff, only 24% hold senior titles. 3) Only 9.8% of students primarily focus on academics. 4) Among student athletes, 43% plan to take the national sports entrance examination, while 11.3% intend to enter the workforce directly. The training facilities at sports schools in Yancheng generally meet demand, but there is still a shortage of facilities for certain sports. Additionally, schools face limited funding sources, with a lack of support from social capital. Moreover, the talent development goals at grassroots sports schools in Yancheng are influenced by a “gold medal-only” mentality, which leads to the neglect of cultural education for athletes.
Ma et al. (2026) studied this question.