INDIANAPOLIS - As the 2022-23 athletic/school year came to a close, the Indiana High School Athletic Association made a couple of changes to the way schools classified four-class sports. The Executive Committee voted 13-4-1 to amend the original rule proposal from the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA). Under the former proposal, four-class sports would have used fixed enrollment figures. Instead, the Committee opted to maintain the percentage-based system and made adjustments. The new formula is adjusted to the following: Class 4A - Will include the largest 20% of schools Class 3A - Will be the next 25% of schools Class 2A - Will use the next 25% of schools Class 1A - Will encompass the final 30% These percentages are scheduled to begin with the next reclassification cycle and take effect in 2024-25. “The revised classification system the IHSAA approved will for the most part eliminate shifting between classes due to new small start-up schools,” said LaVille Athletic Director Will Hostrawser. “As it stood in the old system, a school could actually shrink in enrollment yet move up a class because of new small start up schools entering into IHSAA membership into class A.” In May, the IHSAA Executive Committee tabled a proposal submitted on behalf of the IIAAA to set enrollment caps on each class. That proposal would have moved in the direction of Class 4A at 1,400 student enrollment and above, 3A from 600 to 1,399 student enrollment, 2A from 325-599 student enrollment and Class A from 324 and down. “While the IHSAA membership was in favor of going to a 5 class system,” explained Hostrawser. “That created numerous logistical challenges that proved too hard to overcome for the IHSAA when it came to hosting a 5 class state tournament - particularly at the state finals level. Venues simply were not available for 2 days in order to host 5 separate state championship events.” Most recently, the number of teams in the four-class sports of baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball were divided pretty evenly between the four classes. The original IIAAA proposal called for the five-class system. That thought was based on helping eliminate the increasing gap in enrollment between the largest 4A schools and the smallest 4A schools, along with helping prevent schools with stagnant enrollment from getting bumped up by new schools coming into the association. “The 4 class system works better for state tournament purposes,” said Hostrawser. “So the trade off was to put hard enrollment numbers in each class. To host an effective 4 class state tournament, the max number of schools per class is 128 - or 16 eight team sectionals. The hard enrollment numbers were set up with this in mind. “A side effect particularly at the Class 3A and 4A levels turned out to be an exceptionally large enrollment gap from the smallest schools to the largest schools in each class - which was not very well received by smaller schools in class 3A and 4A. Several schools are disgruntled as a result.” So what does this new alignment mean for Lancer Nation? “As far as LaVille is concerned, this new format will not impact us as we will remain in class 2A,” concluded Hostrawser. “With where our enrollment number falls on the list of schools, I would not expect us to shift classes up or down anytime in the near future.” According to a release by the IHSAA, this revised classification system that the IHSAA approved, will eliminate shifting between classes due to new small start-up schools. With the former system, a school could actually reduce enrollment but move up a class because of new small start up schools entering into IHSAA membership into class A. While the IHSAA membership schools in favor of moving to a 5 class system, that system created numerous logistical challenges that proved difficult to overcome for the IHSAA when it came to hosting a 5 class state tournament - particularly at the state finals level. The various host sites were not available for 2 days in order to host 5 separate state championship events. The 4 class system works better for state tournament purposes. So the trade off was to put hard enrollment numbers in each class. To host an effective 4 class state tournament, the max number of schools per class is 128 - or 16 eight team sectionals. The hard enrollment numbers were set up with this in mind. A side effect particularly at the Class 3A and 4A levels turned out to be an exceptionally large enrollment gap from the smallest schools to the largest schools in each class - which was not very well received by smaller schools in class 3A and 4A. Several schools are disgruntled as a result.