The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body 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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

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 ...

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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

University Interscholastic League (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, 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) 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) 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. 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 to ...

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

* Alabama High School Athletic Association * Alaska School Activities Association * Arizona Interscholastic Association *

Arkansas Activities Association The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) is the primary sanctioning body for high school sports in state of Arkansas. AAA is a member association of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA). Every public secondary s ...

* California Interscholastic Federation * Colorado High School Activities Association * Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference * Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association * District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association *

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 * Georgia High School Association *

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 * 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 sport ...

* Louisiana High School Athletic Association * Maine Principals' Association * Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association * Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association *

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Unlike ...

* Minnesota State High School League * Mississippi High School Activities Association * Missouri State High School Activities Association *

Montana High School Association The Montana High School Association (MHSA) is the governing body of high school athletics in the state of Montana. It was founded in 1921 and today consists of 180+ member schools. Classification The MHSA divides schools based upon their total enr ...

* Nebraska School Activities Association *

Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for high schools in the state of Nevada. In addition, five schools in the state of California (Coleville, Needles, North Tahoe, South Tahoe, and Tru ...

* New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association *

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

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 The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York (state), New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed ...

North Carolina High School Athletic Association The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is the governing organization of high school athletics in North Carolina, United States. The association maintains the official rule books and governs the officiating standards across ...

* North Dakota High School Activities Association *

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

* Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association * Oregon School Activities Association * Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association *

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 * University Interscholastic League (Texas) * Utah High School Activities Association * Vermont Principals' Association *

* Washington Interscholastic Activities Association * West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission * Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association *

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. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States ( ...

Affiliate associations

* Alberta Schools Athletic Association *

British Columbia School Sports BC School Sports is an organisation dedicated to organising sport competition in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Overview and History BC School Sports was created in 1965, and was originally known as the British Columbia Federation of ...

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...

Florida School Music Association Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to t ...

Georgia Independent School Association The Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) is an association of private, independent, and parochial schools throughout the state of Georgia. It was established in 1967 as the Georgia Association of Independent Schools, at the time a large n ...

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 * Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union *

Iowa High School Music Association Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association, Inc , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

* New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association * Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation *

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 at ...

Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. ...

* Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association *

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 In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dako ...

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 compulsor ...

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 SCISA ...

* St. Croix Interscholastic Athletic Association * Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools *

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 () 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 Michi ...

* Wisconsin School Music Association

Players by sport

Executive Directors

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

, 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 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