Free-and-reduced lunch statistics may factor into Iowa high school football classifications
More changes could be coming to Iowa high school football's classification structure, and the latest proposal is aimed at helping schools with higher numbers of students from low-income families.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced Tuesday that an amendment to the structure, which schools will vote on in December, that would factor in students' economic status to current football classifications.
The IHSAA’s classification committee recommended a new model that reduces 40% of a school’s free- and reduced-priced lunch count from its annual enrollment to determine its final classification number. The Minnesota State High School League uses a similar model.
Under the proposed system, if an Iowa school's 9 through 11 grade enrollment for the coming school year is 1,000, and the district's free- and reduced-price lunch enrollment is 370 students, then that school would reduce its total enrollment count by 148 kids (40% of 370), resulting in an IHSAA classification number of 852 for football.
IHSAA's Board of Control approved the recommendation, for football only, on Monday. If approved by all IHSAA member schools — voting will be conducted by email Dec. 16-22 — the amendment would then be submitted to the Iowa State Board of Education for approval.
If approved there, the new model would go into effect starting in the 2023-24 school year.
"Our schools have asked us to consider socioeconomic factors in classification, and the IHSAA, after much study and discussion, is pleased to offer such a strategy," IHSAA Executive Director Tom Keating said in a statement.
The IHSAA has had many internal conversations about classification over the last several years. The 40% free- and reduced-price lunch model was the first idea that proposed an adjustment to a school's enrollment figures, the IHSAA said. The conversations primarily centered on football.
Should the amendment pass, schools would need to submit their free- and reduced-lunch price numbers through the Department of Education to receive the adjustment. The IHSAA anticipates that the change would affect roughly 35 to 45 schools.
Currently, classifications for all sports, both through the IHSAA and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, are determined solely using school enrollment figures. But there's been a yearslong conversation about Iowa's current sports classification models.
In 2019, Des Moines Public Schools asked both the IHSAA and IGHSAU to consider changing their sports classification structure, primarily because of the Des Moines city school football program's long-documented struggles against their suburban peers. From 2008 through 2021, DMPS football teams lost 134 consecutive games to other Polk and Dallas County large-class schools, by an average score of 50-10.
How might districts' classifications shift?
On Tuesday, DMPS applauded the potential move. District officials said they believe the proposal would impact at least one, possibly two, Des Moines high schools, sending North from 5A to 4A and possibly Hoover from 4A to 3A.
"Equity has long been a top priority at Des Moines Public Schools, not only in the classroom but also as it applies to athletics and other opportunities for our students," Phil Roeder, DMPS's director of communications and public affairs, wrote in an email to the Des Moines Register.
"This change, if approved, would be one step in the right direction to begin addressing this important issue and recognizing that socioeconomic factors can have an impact on student-athletes, no matter the size of their school."
Other central Iowa schools that could move down a class based on the 40% proposal include Panorama, Perry and Saydel, based on a Register data analysis.
Currently, Iowa's 36 largest high schools make up Class 5A. The next 36 are in 4A, the next 36 in 3A. The next 48 make up 2A. The next 48 make up 1A. All remaining 11-player football teams are in Class A.
Related:Des Moines Roosevelt tops Waukee in first DMPS win over a suburb foe since 2008
"The overwhelming majority of communication regarding concerns with competitive equity referenced football," Keating said. "Additionally, football is the only sport in which the regular season is scheduled by the IHSAA. In all other sports, individual schools, through conference affiliation or their non-conference opponents, determine their own regular season schedules.
"We will continue to study other sports to determine if this model should be applied."
Des Moines Register Data Visualization Specialist Tim Webber contributed to this report.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: IHSAA may consider socioeconomic status when determining football classes
