Every two years, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) redraws the classification lines for high school athletics.  The 2010-2012 classification ranges were finalized this week.  Charles Wright Academy is once again classified as 1A, but there are some significant changes among the teams they compete against.

First, a little background on how the WIAA creates classifications.  Schools around the state reported their 10th, 11th and 12th grade enrollments for 2008-2009.  Enrollment ranged from four students at tiny Seton Catholic to 2,560 at Marysville Pilchuck.  The WIAA then created six classifications based on school size with between 62 and 66 schools in each classification.  The preliminary classification list was released in November and schools were given the opportunity to opt-up.  Then the lines were adjusted to ensure the classifications were close to one another in size.  The list was reissued this week.  Although the WIAA calls this the final list, opt-up appeals will continue to be considered until January 15.

So, here’s the basic classification structure:
4A – schools with more than 1,304 students;
3A – schools with 1,086 to 1,303 students;
2A – schools with 513 to 1,085 students;
1A – schools with 208 to 512 students;
2B – schools with 93 to 207 students; and
1B – schools with 92 students or less.

While an exceptional athlete may enroll at any school in the state, schools with larger enrollments naturally develop a wider and deeper talent pool from which to build an athletic program.  This system ensures that every school stands a chance at becoming competitive within their classification.

Five schools are dropping from 2A to 1A because of the reclassification.  Elma, Hoquiam, Ridefield, Colville and Riverside will make for new competition for the Tarriers during the post season.  Elma will be the largest 1A school in the state for the next two years.

CWA’s enrollment last year for grades 10 through 12 was 228, placing the Tarriers 20 students above the cut off between the 2B and 1A classifications.  Among those schools classified 1A based on enrollment, only Onalaska, Mabton, Overlake, Annie Wright, Kettle Falls and Cle Elum/Roslyn are smaller.

The WIAA allows schools to opt-up if they would like to compete against larger schools, and four schools have so far opted into the 1A classification for 2010-2012.  Those schools are Bush, Brewster, La Salle and Seattle Christian.  Therefore, among the 65 schools competing in the 1A class, CWA will rank 55th of 65 by size.   Only La Salle is new to the 1A classification.  Annie Wright has opted up in the past but is now classified as 1A based on enrollment.

Other schools have until January 15 to indicate if they want to opt-up into a higher classification and to complete the approval process.   The WIAA executive board will finalize the 2010-2012 classifications on January 24.

Unless they appeal to classification and request the opportunity to opt up, University Prep will be moving down to 2B and will become the largest school in that classification.  University Prep is not part of the Nisqually league, but the Tarriers face the Pumas in tri and quad district tournaments on the road to state.  Removing University Prep from 1A competition could significantly change the post-season landscape for the Tarriers in several sports.  The move would not, however, impact boys’ tennis, the sport in which the two schools have the strongest rivalry, because 1A, 2B and 1B all compete together in the post season.  Lake Roosevelt will also be dropping to 2B.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there had been some speculation that several 1A schools might be reclassified or opt-up into the 2A bracket.  So far, Archbishop Murphy is the only school opting up.  They opted up in 2008-2010, as well.  Orting, with 509 students, fell just four students short of bumping up to 2A and has not opted up.

Meg Wochnick, a reporter for The Olympian, wrote about the new classification scheme last Friday.  In her article she highlight that Frank Pierce, North Thurston, Olympic, Port Angeles and North Kitsap, all the 3A schools this year, are moving down to 2A.

“There was no indication that most of those schools would move down a classification when the WIAA released the preliminary enrollment figures Nov. 30,” writes Wochnick. “But because many 2A and 3A schools were looking to opt up to a higher classification, the WIAA executive board voted at its meeting last week to modify the number of schools that will be 2A and 3A to create equal class sizes…  Twenty-two schools opted up to play at the 3A level, forcing many current 3A schools to drop down the classification ladder.”

The schools opting up in this reclassification are:
From 2A to 4A, Gonzaga Prep and Bellarmine Prep;
From 3A to 4A, Federal Way and Mead;
From 1A to 3A, Eastside Catholic, Lakeside (Seattle) and Seattle Prep;
From 2A to 3A, Bishop Blanchet, Bonney Lake, Chief Sealth, Cleveland, Columbia River, Decatur, Foss, Franklin, Glacier Peak, Holy Names, Ingraham, Kennedy, Lakeside, Liberty, Mercer Island, Nathan Hale, O’Dea, Rainier Beach, West Seattle and Woodrow Wilson.
From 1A to 2A, Archbishop Murphy;
From 1B to 1A, Bush, Brewster, La Salle and Seattle Christian;
From 2B to 1B, DeSales, Entiat, Mt Vernon Christian, Naselle, Pateros, Pe Ell, Shoreline Christian, Willapa Valley and Waterville.

A few schools around the state are leaving the WIAA entirely next year but none are based in the South Sound.  There is a long list of schools that are members of the WIAA so that their students can participate in activities but not athletics.  Tacoma School of the Arts is the only local school on this list.   Nine very small public schools with fewer than 100 students are opting to participate in combined teams with other schools at the 1B level.

The entire list of schools and their classifications is available on the WIAA website.