IHSA makes trio of changes regarding competitive equity in postseason
- Jonathan Michel
- Mar 18
- 6 min read
BLOOMINGTON — The Illinois High School Association is continuing to adjust rules pertaining to equity among schools in postseason competitions.
On Tuesday, the IHSA announced three changes that will take place beginning in the 2025-26 school year, regarding enrollment cutoffs and increased possibilities for private and non-boundaried schools to play in one classification higher than usual.
These come after the IHSA announced in December that it would be making changes to more accurately reflect school’s enrollments each year.
Calls for adjustments to the IHSA’s current structure increased after private schools dominated against public schools in the 2024 football state title games. More recently, private schools made up ten out of the 16 finalists and three out of the four state champions at the IHSA State Finals in boys basketball.
Two out of the three changes center around the public vs. private debate, but the IHSA mentioned in a release on Tuesday that further discussions are being had, including about the multiplier that some private schools teams are subjected to.
“Ultimately, the goal of these changes is to create greater competitive equity by putting more schools in classifications where they will face like competition,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said in a release. “The IHSA Board of Directors has heard the concerns member schools have voiced in recent years, whether through direct correspondence, or indirectly through by-law amendment proposals.”
Below are details about each of the three changes and they mean looking forward.
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