By Jack Hart | ILSportsWire
The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors approved several changes impacting high school athletics across the state during its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, August 24, in Bloomington.
Among the biggest changes is the approval of new classification cutoffs for the 2027-28 school year, giving IHSA member schools a full year to prepare for the adjustments.
The changes affect several sports, including baseball, basketball, softball, volleyball, soccer, boys golf and girls tennis. The IHSA said all other sports will retain their current classification cutoffs.
New 2027-28 Classification Cutoffs
For the four-class sports — baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, softball and girls volleyball — the new enrollment ranges will be:
- Class 1A: 1-275
- Class 2A: 275.01-600
- Class 3A: 600.01-1,600
- Class 4A: 1,600.01 and above
In girls soccer, the new classifications will be:
- Class 1A: 1-750
- Class 2A: 750.01-1,750
- Class 3A: 1,750.01 and above
For boys soccer:
- Class 1A: 1-675
- Class 2A: 675.01-1,650
- Class 3A: 1,650.01 and above
Boys golf will use the following ranges:
- Class 1A: 1-450
- Class 2A: 450.01-1,400
- Class 3A: 1,400.01 and above
Girls tennis will have two classes:
- Class 1A: 1-1,400
- Class 2A: 1,400.01 and above
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the organization intentionally provided schools with advance notice of classification changes.
“When revamping the Classification Policy in 2024, one of our goals was to provide member schools with one year notice in advance of any class cutoff changes to help them prepare accordingly,” Anderson said. “All the changes approved today will go into effect during the 2027-28 school year.”
Classification Policy Updated
The Board also made a change to the Classification Policy itself.
When the policy was revamped in 2024, the IHSA moved from a two-year classification cycle to an annual classification cycle and returned to fixed classification cutoffs rather than percentage-based cutoffs.
Previously, the policy called for classification cutoffs to be rounded to the nearest 50 or 100 students. The Board approved an adjustment allowing cutoffs to also be established at the 25-student mark.
Anderson said declining overall enrollment across IHSA membership played a role in the decision.
“The overall enrollment within our membership is currently declining, so it makes sense to lower some of these cutoffs to keep in line with that trend,” Anderson said.
Other Major Decisions
Classification changes were only part of Monday’s meeting.
The Board approved an updated Lightning Policy, including allowing host schools to use apps backed by the National Lightning Detection Network to determine whether lightning is more than 10 miles away.
The Board also approved Buffalo Grove High School as the host site for the 2026 IHSA Girls Tennis State Finals. The tournament had previously been scheduled to be hosted by Hersey High School.
Another significant financial decision will increase State Series host guarantees for cross country and track and field by 80 percent, providing an additional $166,320 to schools hosting State Series events in those sports.
The IHSA will also expand its pilot program using the MaxPreps Ranking formula to seed the State Series. After first being used in boys volleyball in 2026, the system will be expanded to boys soccer and girls soccer during the 2026-27 school year.
The Board also voted to conclude the IHSA Wheelchair Basketball Tournament and instead redirect funding toward a grant program designed to help schools provide adaptive athletic equipment to high school students.
Several cooperative agreements were also dissolved, including changes involving girls lacrosse, boys and girls swimming and diving, and multiple sports involving Thornton, Thornridge, Thornwood and South Holland.
The Board additionally discussed potential future changes to Policy 38 regarding drones, directing IHSA staff to explore allowing drones to be used during IHSA Football Playoff games for team scouting purposes. No policy change was approved at Monday’s meeting.
The new classification cutoffs will not take effect immediately. They are scheduled to go into effect beginning with the 2027-28 school year, giving schools throughout Illinois time to evaluate how the changes could impact their athletic programs.
