IHSA announces major classification policy changes

The IHSA announced three significant changes to its classification policy Tuesday. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the IHSA will go back to using fixed classification cutoffs, change its multiplier waiver process and adjust its “Success Adjustment Policy.”

The decisions were made at Saturday’s IHSA Board of Directors meeting and came after the IHSA already made changes in December from a two-year classification cycle to one year in December. The changes came after complaints from across the state surrounding the fall’s football state championships.

“Competitive equity and classifications are a topical issue here in Illinois and for state associations around the country,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said is a press release. “No state has a perfect system, so it is important that we remain fluid as a board and staff to be able to review and adapt our policies as new trends emerge and issues evolve.”

Sports and activities with more than one class will have predetermined enrollment classification cutoffs. According to the release, the cutoffs were determined by starting with the average class cutoff from the past four years, then rounding up or down to nearest 50th or 100th. Other sports were adjusted slightly based on class participation trends over the past couple of years.

The classes for football won’t be determined until after the regular season. Other cutoffs are as follows:

• Baseball, softball, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball: 1A up to 300; 2A 300.1 to 700; 3A 700.1 to 1,600; 4A 1,600.1 and over
• Boys and girls cross-country: 1A up to 600; 2A 600.1 to 1,550; 3A 1,550.1 and over
• Boys golf: 1A to to 500; 2A 500.1 to 1,450; 3A 1,450.1 and over
• Boys soccer: 1A up to 700; 2A 700.1 to 1,700; 3A 1,700.1 and over
• Girls soccer: 1A up to 800; 2A 800.1 to 1,800; 3A 1,800.1 and over
• Boys and girls track and field: 1A up to 450; 2A 450.1 to 1,250; 3A 1,250.1 and over
• Boys wrestling: 1A up to 750; 2A 750,1 to 1,700; 3A 1,700.1 and over
• Girls golf: 1A up to 900; 2A 900.1 and over
• Boys tennis: 1A up to 1,500; 2A 1,500.1 and over
• Girls tennis: 1A up to 1,450; 2A 1,450.1 and over
• Competitive dance: 1A up to 1,050; 2A 1,050.1 to 1.950; 3A 1,950.1 and over
• Competitive cheerleading: Small up to 700; Medium 700.1 to 1,600; Large 1,600.1 and over; Co-Ed by choice

The board also voted to eliminate the automatic waiver process with an annual waiver application process. Since 2005, non-boundaried schools had a 1.65 multiplier and was later adapted based on a team’s state series success in each sport.

The IHSA set a baseline for when a non-boundaried cannot apply for a waiver if a team achieved the following in the previous three seasons:

• Girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball and softball: win a sectional semifinal game
• Wrestling or scholastic bowl: win regional tournament
• Boys and girls track and field, boys and girls tennis, competitive cheerleading and dance: win a sectional tournament or finish top-10 as a team at state finals
• Boys and girls cross-country, boys and girls golf: win a regional tournament or qualify for state finals
• Football: win at least one playoff game

Non-boundaried schools eligible for a waiver, will be required to apply for it online and the IHSA will review each waiver request. A simple majority vote will determine the result but the IHSA board will review the staff votes and have the discretion to change them.

“Our member schools have been nearly unanimous in expressing their concerns that the current waiver system was not working as intended,” Anderson said. “The formula used to determine the automatic waivers wasn’t encompassing enough data, which created too many holes in the process. The result was often teams who were already highly competitive in higher classifications being granted waivers to play in lower classifications. This new two-tier process to determine waivers will encompass more data that we believe will improve competitive equity overall.”

The board also changed its “success adjustment policy.” The policy originally looked at the amount of state success that occurred over four years, but then adjusted to two years when the IHSA moved to a two-year classification cycle.

Beginning next school year, the policy will have a rolling three-year period. Entering each school year, if a team has won two state final trophies in the past three years in a sport, they will then be subject to the adjustment and move up one class in that sport.

“We believe the changes approved by the board in December and March will take significant strides in improving competitive equity,” Anderson said. “As a staff, we will continue to collect and analyze data so that the Board and membership can make informed decisions.”