The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...

that writes the rules of competition for most

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

sports and activities in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. NFHS's headquarters are located in

White River State Park White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers . The park is home to numerous attractions, including the Eiteljorg Museum of A ...

in Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Member and affiliate associations

Over 19,500 high schools belong to associations that are members of the NFHS. Most high schools, whether

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, belong to their state's high school association; in turn, each state association belongs to the NFHS. However, in states that have separate associations for public and non-public high schools, only the public-school bodies are full NFHS members. For example, the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

University Interscholastic League The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...

(public schools, with non-public schools generally not allowed) is a full member; the largest association governing non-public schools, the

Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Salado, Texas. Foun ...

, is an affiliate member, while other governing bodies are not NFHS members at any level. Similarly, the

Virginia High School League The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor sta ...

, open only to public schools, is a full member, the state's largest association for non-public schools is an affiliate member, and other governing bodies are not members at all. The case in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

is slightly different; the body governing public schools is a full member, while the body governing private schools is not an NFHS member at any level. In the state of Alabama, the public schools and a handful of private schools compete in the AHSAA (

Alabama High School Athletic Association The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body for interscholastic athletics and activities programs for public schools in Alabama. The AHSAA is a member National Federation of State High School ...

) which is a full member of the NFHS. The majority of private schools in the state are members of the AISA (

Alabama Independent School Association The Alabama Independent School Association is an organization of private schools in Alabama, formed in 1966 as the Alabama Private School Association. Originally a group of eight segregation academies, the membership grew to 60 by the 1971–72 sch ...

) a non-member that uses NFHS rules. The AHSAA will not allow its members to play AISA schools but the AISA schools do compete with public and private schools outside of Alabama. 250px, NFHS Headquarters, with the NCAA Hall of Champions in the background Iowa has separate governing associations for boys' and girls' sports – the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the

Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) is the governing body for girls' junior and senior high school sports in the U.S. state of Iowa. The association promotes and regulates interscholastic sports among its member schools. Though its ...

. Only the Iowa High School Athletic Association is a full member of the NFHS; the girls' governing body is an affiliate member. The provincial associations of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

are affiliate members of the NFHS. The NFHS publishes rules books for each sport or activity, and most states adopt those rules wholly for state high school competition including the non member private school associations. The NFHS offered an online Coach Education Program in January 2007. It released a course, Fundamentals of Coaching. The NFHS has announced that it will offer a National Coach Certification in September 2009. This will enable to coaches to become a Level 1 - Accredited Interscholastic Coach issued by the NFHS.

Member associations

Alaska School Activities Association The Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) is the regulating body for high school interscholastic activities in Alaska and is Alaska's member to the National Federation of State High School Associations. History The Alaska High School Activ ...

Arizona Interscholastic Association The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) is one of two regulatory bodies for high school athletics and activities in the state of Arizona. It comprises all of the state's public district high schools (except Ajo High School, Beaver Dam High S ...

* Arkansas Activities Association *

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...

Colorado High School Activities Association The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is the governing body for all high school activities throughout the state of Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United Stat ...

Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference The Connecticut Association of Schools and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) is the governing body for secondary school athletics and other interscholastic competition in the state of Connecticut. Sports offered Fall * ...

Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) is an organization that oversees and regulates interscholastic athletics in the US State of Delaware. The DIAA is headquartered at the John W. Collette Education Resource Center in Dover. H ...

District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) is the public high school athletic league in Washington, D.C. The league was founded in 1958. The original high school conference for D.C. schools was the Inter-High School Ath ...

District of Columbia State Athletic Association The District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA), is the association that oversees post-season high school sporting contests in Washington, D.C. DCSAA is made up of public schools from the DCIAA, DC private schools from various confer ...

Florida High School Athletic Association The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high schools in Florida. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Florida uses ...

Georgia High School Association The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is an organization that governs athletics and activities for member high schools in Georgia, USA. GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association has 463 pu ...

Hawaii High School Athletic Association Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) is made up of 95 public and private high schools in the state of Hawaii. HHSAA was founded in 1956. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The HHSAA comprises sc ...

Idaho High School Activities Association The Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) oversees high school athletics and activities in the state of Idaho. Idaho high schools are classified in five categories, based on enrollment, for league competition and state playoffs and champ ...

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fe ...

Indiana High School Athletic Association 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 ...

* Iowa High School Athletic Association * Kansas State High School Activities Association *

Kentucky High School Athletic Association The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) has been the governing body of the U.S. state of Kentucky high-school athletics since 1917. It is located in Lexington. Sports The organization sanctions competition in the following sports ...

Louisiana High School Athletic Association The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) is the agency that regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana. Organization LHSAA was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in ...

Maine Principals' Association The Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) is the governing body for sports competitions among all public and some private high schools in the state of Maine. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The MPA of ...

Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), is the association that oversees public high school sporting contests in the state of Maryland. Organized after World War II in 1946, the MPSSAA is made up of public high schools fr ...

Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The MIAA is a member of the Nat ...

* Michigan High School Athletic Association *

Minnesota State High School League The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics an ...

Mississippi High School Activities Association The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) is the official sanctioning body of all public and some private junior high and high school academic and athletic competitions in the state of Mississippi. It is a non-profit organizatio ...

Missouri State High School Activities Association The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) is the governing body for high school activities throughout the state of Missouri. Approximately 580 high schools are members of MSHSAA. The MSHSAA conducts championship-level activi ...

* Montana High School Association *

Nebraska School Activities Association The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is a statewide organization which oversees interscholastic competition between high schools in the state of Nebraska. The NSAA is the only interscholastic activities association in Nebraska, thus, ...

* Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association *

New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) is the governing body for sports competitions among all public and some private high schools in New Hampshire. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associatio ...

* New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association *

New Mexico Activities Association The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates interscholastic programs for junior and senior high schools in New Mexico. It hosts the statewide sports championship games each year. History NMAA was or ...

* New York State Public High School Athletic Association * North Carolina High School Athletic Association *

North Dakota High School Activities Association The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) is the governing body for the U.S. state of North Dakota's high-school athletics and fine arts. The current executive director of the NDHSAA is Matthew Fetsch and the headquarters are l ...

* Ohio High School Athletic Association *

Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is an organization which organizes secondary school athletics and activities competitions at the state level. Derald Glover is its president. The OSSAA is a member of the National Federat ...

Oregon School Activities Association The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is a non-profit, board-governed organization that regulates high school athletics and competitive activities via athletic conferences in the U.S. state of Oregon, providing equitable competition amo ...

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The PIAA's main ...

Rhode Island Interscholastic League The Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) is an organization that runs and regulates interscholastic high school activities in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A total of 54 public and private schools participate in the league and about 20,00 ...

South Carolina High School League The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) is the organization that rules and regulates school athletics in the state of South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Car ...

South Dakota High School Activities Association South Dakota High School Activities Association governs high school sports and other activities in the state of South Dakota. The SDHSAA was founded in 1905 and has been a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations The N ...

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

(Texas) *

Utah High School Activities Association The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) is an organization of 138 high schools in the U.S. state of Utah that sponsor athletic activities in 25 sports and activities. More than 85,000 students compete annually in approximately 25,000 ...

Vermont Principals' Association The Vermont Principals' Association (VPA) is an organization of over 300 schools in the U.S. state of Vermont that sponsor activities in numerous sports and activities. The VPA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associatio ...

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) is the governing body of athletics and activities for secondary education schools in the state of Washington. As of February 2011, the private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization consists ...

West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC, but colloquially referred to as SSAC) is the main governing body of high school sports, cheerleading, and marching bands in West Virginia, United States. For sports other than basket ...

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the earliest continually existing high school athletic organization in the country. ...

Wyoming High School Activities Association The Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) is the organization that runs and regulates all interscholastic high school activities in the U.S. state of Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Wester ...

Affiliate associations

Alberta Schools Athletic Association The Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) is the governing body that oversees amateur athletics in schools for the province of Alberta. It is a voluntary, non profit organization that has 373 member high schools. It enforces policies as d ...

* British Columbia School Sports * Department of Defense Education Activity * Florida School Music Association *

Georgia Independent School Association The Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) is an association of private, independent, and parochial schools throughout the state of Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia ...

Illinois Elementary School Association Illinois Elementary School Association is a statewide athletics and activities association serving elementary and middle schools in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the end of the 1920s, a handful of principals and coaches at several central Illi ...

Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

* Iowa High School Music Association * Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association, Inc * Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association *

New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association, or NBIAA, (french: l'Association sportive interscolaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, ASINB) is the governing body for high school sports in New Brunswick, Canada. As with all of Canada's provincial ...

Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is an organization of student-athletes, teacher-coaches, student-coaches, teachers, principals, and sport administrators in Ontario, Canada. OFSAA is the second largest high school ath ...

* Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association *

Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ; literal translation: ''Quebec Student Sports Network'') is the current name for the organisation formerly known as the Fédération du sport scolaire du Québec (FSSQ; ''Quebec Student Sports Federa ...

* Saint Thomas Saint John Interscholastic Association * Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association *

School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulso ...

South Carolina Independent School Association The South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) is a school accrediting organization. It was founded in South Carolina in 1965 to legitimize segregation academies.https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/blair_monica_k_201505_ma.pdf History SCIS ...

* St. Croix Interscholastic Athletic Association *

Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

* Wisconsin High School Forensic Association *

Wisconsin School Music Association Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Mich ...

Players by sport

Executive Directors

* L. W. Smith, 1920–27 (secretary of the board) *

C. W. Whitten Charles William "C. W." Whitten (August 6, 1871 – October 23, 1957) was an American educator and athletic administrator. As the chief executive officer, chief executive of both the Illinois High School Association, Illinois High School Athleti ...

, 1927–40 (manager, later executive secretary) *

H. V. Porter Henry Van Arsdale "H. V." Porter (October 2, 1891 – October 27, 1975) was an American educator, coach, and athletic administrator. He served as the executive secretary of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations fro ...

, 1940–58 (executive secretary) *

Cliff Fagan Clifford B. Fagan (March 3, 1911 – January 18, 1995) was a high school basketball referee who became executive director of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS) and eventually president of the Basketball Hal ...

, 1958–77 (executive secretary) * Brice B. Durbin, 1977–1993 * Robert F. Kanaby, 1993–2010 * Robert B. Gardner, 2010–2018 * Karissa Niehoff, 2018–present

National High School Hall of Fame

The

National High School Hall of Fame The National High School Hall of Fame is a program of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) that honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to high school sports or performing arts. As of 2019, a total of ...

is a program of the National Federation of State High School Associations that honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to high school sports or performing arts. Since 1986, the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony has been the final event of the National Federation's annual summer meeting, which is held in late June and early July and attended by board members and executives of the state high school associations.

References, including organizations' official websites

External links

*
NFHS Learn

NFHS Record Book covering various sports, including baseball, basketball, softball, football, and both field and ice hockey
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Federation Of State High School Associations * Associations of schools Sports in Indianapolis Sports organizations established in 1920 1920 establishments in the United States Sports governing bodies in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Indianapolis