IHSAA Conference-Independent Schools

The schools listed below are members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association and are not members of a conference. Of these, several were at one time members of a conference but became independent because of budget and travel concerns. However, some of them, mostly private schools, are also independent in order to better prepare for the state tournament, a practice that the IHSAA has begun to crack down on in recent years.

Indiana's Class System

Indiana's classes are determined by student enrollment, broken into classes of roughly equal size depending on sport. The 2011-12 school year marks a change in the classification period, as schools are reclassified in all class sports biennially instead of quadrennially.

It is also important to note that some schools (mostly private) are placed in classes higher than their enrollment. This is due to a new IHSAA rule that took effect for the 2012-13 year that dictates that a school that has made two appearances at the state championships in a row, win or lose, is automatically moved up into the next class.

Classes for 2011-12 through 2012-13: Most sports:

• Class A: <325 Students.
• Class AA: 325-565 Students.
• Class AAA: 566-1089 Students.
• Class AAAA: >1089 Students.

Football:

• Class A: 71-408 students
• Class AA: 408-555 students
• Class AAA: 557-808 students
• Class AAAA: 809-1489 students
• Class AAAAA: 1496-1929 students
• Class AAAAAA 1935-4808 students

Soccer:

• Class A: 62-721 students
• Class AA: 721-4808 students

Explanation of colors

     Schools that do not play football
     Schools that are affiliate members for certain sports
     Private or parochial schools
     Military Academies
     Public Magnet Schools
     Public schools that draw from multiple counties
     Public schools that draw from multiple time zones
     Out of state schools (e.g. Mount Carmel)

Schools

These 58 Schools are independent members of the IHSAA.

School	City	Mascot	Colors	Enrollment	IHSAA Class	IHSAA Football Class	County
21st Century Charter School of Gary	Gary	Cougars		266	A	--	45 Lake
Argos	Argos	Dragons		198	A	--	50 Marshall
Bethany Christian	Goshen	Bruins		148	A	--	20 Elkhart
Bowman Academy	Gary	Eagles		447	AA	AA	45 Lake
Christian Academy of Indiana	New Albany	Warriors		241	A	--	22 Floyd
DeMotte Covenant Christian	DeMotte	Knights		99	A	--	37 Jasper
Culver Military	Culver	Eagles		812	AAA	AAAA	50 Marshall
Elkhart Christian	Elkhart	Eagles		185	A	--	20 Elkhart
Evansville Day School	Evansville	Eagles		81	A	--	82 Vanderburgh
Evansville Signature	Evansville	Penguins		361	AA	--	82 Vanderburgh
Faith Christian	Lafayette	Eagles		203	A	--	79 Tippecanoe
Fort Wayne Blackhawk	Fort Wayne	Braves		241	A	--	02 Allen
Fort Wayne Canterbury	Fort Wayne	Cavaliers		369	AA	--	02 Allen
Indiana School for the Blind	Indianapolis	Rockets		57	A	--	49 Marion
Indiana School for the Deaf	Indianapolis	Orioles		115	A	A	49 Marion
Indianapolis Cathedral	Indianapolis	Fighting Irish		1,184	AAAA	AAAAA	49 Marion
Indianapolis Herron	Indianapolis	Achaeans		827	AAA	--	49 Marion
Lakewood Park Christian	Auburn	Panthers		186	A	--	17 DeKalb
Gary Lighthouse	Gary	Lions		560	AA	--	45 Lake
Oldenburg Academy	Oldenburg	Twisters		210	A	A	24 Franklin
Oregon-Davis	Hamlet	Bobcats		182	A	--	75 Starke
Providence	Clarksville	Pioneers		437	AA	AA	10 Clark
Rock Creek Academy	Sellersburg	Lions		137	A	A	10 Clark
Trinity Lutheran	Seymour	Cougars		142	A	A	36 Jackson

Defunct Independent Schools

These are schools that were independent at the time of their closing. This list is incomplete.

School	City	Mascot	Colors	County	Year Closed	Reason for Closing
Muncie Southside	Muncie	Rebels		18 Delaware	2014	consolidated into Muncie Central
New Harmony	New Harmony	Rappites		65 Posey	2012	consolidated into North Posey

Independent Football Members

These schools are independent in football, but play other sports within a conference.

School	City	Mascot	Colors	Enrollment	IHSAA Football Class	Primary Conference	County
Anderson Prep	Anderson	Jets		309	A	Pioneer	48 Madison
Tecumseh	Lynnville	Braves		261	A	Pocket Athletic	87 Warrick

References

Resources

• Conference Alignments
• IHSAA 2009-10 Roster