Indiana High School Athletic Association

Indiana High School Athletic Association
(IHSAA)
Abbreviation	IHSAA
Formation	1903
Type	Volunteer; NPO
Legal status	Association
Purpose	Athletic/Educational
Headquarters	9150 Meridian St.; Indianapolis, IN 46240 US
Region served	Indiana
Membership	2019-2020 Membership; 412 Full High School Members ; 9 Provisional Members
Official language	English
Commissioner	Paul Neidig
Chairman	Chris Conley
Parent organization	National Federation of State High School Associations
Affiliations	51 High School Athletic Conferences
Volunteers	18
Website	ihsaa.org
Remarks	Phone: (317) 846-6601 ; Fax: 317-575-4244

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as classes, are intended to foster fair competition among schools of similar sizes. A school ranked 3A is larger than a school ranked 1A, but not as large as a 6A-ranked school. Only football has 6 classes. Boys' basketball, girls' basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball are divided into four classes. Boys' and girls' soccer have featured three classes since the 2017–18 school year. All other sports compete in a single class.

StructureEdit

The IHSAA is divided into three board of director districts: northern, central, and southern. For the state tournament, there are two divisions. The northern district is composed of 21 of Indiana's counties consisting the northern third of Indiana. The southern district is composed of the remaining 71 counties and includes all of the Indianapolis area except Boone, Hamilton, and Madison counties. It is from these two districts, the top two teams meet at the state finals usually held in or around Indianapolis.^{[clarification needed]}

In the regular season, most of the member-schools' sports activities are governed by one, sometimes two or even three of Indiana's 51 athletic conferences. Some conferences only offer one sport while the school participates in a primary conference for all other sports. Other schools maintain independence in certain sports, like football or basketball.

Some smaller sports are governed by other organizations in Indiana. For example, boys' ice hockey is under the auspices of the Indiana State High School Hockey Association (ISHSHA). High school hockey in Indiana is concentrated in the northern portion of the state, around Indianapolis, plus a few other areas, such as Columbus and Evansville.

Primary Athletic ConferencesEdit

Secondary Sport-Specific ConferencesEdit

IndependentsEdit

IHSAA Independents

ControversyEdit

In 2010, the association faced a state lawsuit over the scheduling of girls’ basketball games, which some programs believed disadvantaged girls’ teams by giving more favorable dates and times to boys’ programs. The association won the case when an Indiana judge ruled the schedule was not discriminatory.^[2]

ReferencesEdit

^ "IHSAA School Directory".
^ Jennifer Nelson. "Judge rules girls' basketball schedule not discriminatory". The Indiana Lawyer.

External linksEdit

[1] "IHSAA School Directory".

[2] Jennifer Nelson. "Judge rules girls' basketball schedule not discriminatory". The Indiana Lawyer.

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