Academic Eligibility


High School Sports are intended to enhance the academic process and provide opportunities for students to remain active throughout their high school years.  The NHIAA provides standards by which every participating school and athlete must abide.  An excerpt from the NHIAA handbook follows:

Sect. 2: Scholastic Standing

Rationale for the Scholastic Standing Rule: The primary purpose of high schools is to academically
prepare students for productive contributions in their future lives. Interscholastic activity programs are an
extension of the classroom, and academic standards help ensure the balance between participation in the
activity and appropriate academic performance. In addition, interscholastic activity programs assist in the
educational development of all participants. Academic standards also promote the objective of graduation
from the institution and that student participants are truly representing their academic institution. Overall,
academic standards promote educational standards, underscore the education values of participating in
activities, encourage appropriate academic performance and allow the use of interscholastic participation
as a motivator for classroom performance.

Paragraph A. No pupil who has failed to pass four (4) units of work* during the school’s previous grading period**
shall represent the school in any interscholastic contest. A minimum of four (4) units of work per
grading period is required for participation in interscholastic athletics. Schools utilizing alternative
scheduling formats like block scheduling or trimesters should calculate and equate their system to
meet the intent of passing four (4) units of work in a traditional format (i.e. in a 4 x 4 block program
the student would need to pass a minimum of two (2) subjects to meet the standard). Recognizing that
schools are increasingly moving away from the Carnegie Unit/seat time hours for instruction and
grading, it is expected that the school principal will follow the intent of the By-Law when certifying
academic eligibility for student athletes. For example, a student could meet this requirement through
a virtual school, off site real world learning, on-line classes, etc. as long as the school officially
recognizes and certifies the activities to be academically legitimate and part of the school’s
educational program.

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