Three schools were approved for initial membership by the IHSAA Executive Committee during Tuesday’s first meeting of the 2019-20 school year.
Applications were approved from MTI School of Knowledge and Purdue Polytechnic High School, both of Indianapolis, and Steel City Academy of Gary.
MTI School of Knowledge enrolls 62 students in four grades and maintains teams in soccer, cross country, basketball and track and field.
Purdue Polytechnic currently has 246 students in the 9th and 10th grades and offers programs in soccer, cross country, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, baseball and track and field.
Steel City Academy enrolls 197 students in the first three grades with participants in volleyball, cross country, basketball, and track and field.
Students at the schools will be able to compete in regular season events immediately but, by IHSAA rule, won’t be eligible to participate in state tournament series competition for four years (2023-24).
Each school will enter a four-year provisional membership period during which it will be required to meet a number of criteria in order to gain full membership. Among the criteria are adhering to all IHSAA rules and regulations, maintaining at least one boys team and one girls team in each season (fall, winter and spring), attending the IHSAA New School Orientation and attending all seasonal meetings and educational opportunities for the principal and athletic director. In addition, each school will be monitored for compliance by an IHSAA assistant commissioner who will be assigned to mentor the school’s administrators during the first two years of membership.
At the end of the four-year period (June 2023), the IHSAA Executive Committee will review the school’s overall compliance and vote to determine whether the school will gain full membership.
The new additions combined with the membership loss of Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter East increases the membership total to 412 schools. An all-time listing of IHSAA membership may be found here:
IHSAA Membership History
IHSAA Membership Totals, Last 10 Years
2019-20 412
2018-19 410
2017-18 410
2016-17 410
2015-16 408
2014-15 410
2013-14 412
2012-13 410
2011-12 408
2010-11 410