Iowa has solidified its place as the top-ranked state in the nation for high school sports participation per population, according to the annual NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey released September 1st.
National participation hit another all-time high in 2025-26, increasing for a fifth consecutive year to more than 8.4 million participants across all sanctioned sports nationwide. Texas led all states with 911,405 participants, followed by California with 859,022. Iowa, which ranked 31st nationally in population in the 2020 census, ranked 21st in total participation for the third consecutive year with 145,730 total entries — up from 139,344 in 2024-25, when Iowa also led the nation for highest rate of participation per population. Iowa remains the only state in the nation with separate organizations governing boys’ and girls’ sports.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association, which oversees boys’ activities, reported 83,415 participants and saw an increase in all 11 sanctioned sports. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, which governs girls’ sports, reported 62,315 participants — topping 60,000 for the first time since 2008-09. Combined, the 2025-26 school year saw Iowa’s highest overall participation total since 2008-09.
IHSAA Executive Director Tom Keating called the results encouraging, particularly given declining enrollment trends. “To see an increase in participation, particularly when Iowa experienced a decrease in student enrollment, is a testament to the value of the programs our schools offer,” Keating said. “We congratulate our administrators, coaches, and officials for their commitment to our young people through athletics.”
On the boys’ side, football led a strong growth category that also included golf, track and field, and wrestling, with the four sports combining to jump by more than 2,500 participants. IHSAA football featured 19,383 participants — 17,702 in the 11-player classes and 1,681 in eight-player — marking its highest statewide total since 2015-16. Football remains the top sport for participation nationally with over one million boys listed in high school programs. Boys also saw slight participation increases in baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, soccer, swimming, and tennis.
On the girls’ side, volleyball remains the top sport in Iowa with 11,480 participants recorded across grades 9 through 12. Girls’ basketball saw 5,982 participants — its first increase of more than 100 participants since 2007-08, when the total topped 10,000. Nationally, girls’ participation grew 3.2 percent overall, with the NFHS crediting significant jumps in girls’ flag football and wrestling.
NFHS Executive Director Davis Whitfield praised the continued growth and the coaches, athletic directors, and school administrators who make it possible. “Education-based sports within our nation’s schools is a privilege not available in most other countries, and we are thankful these opportunities continue to expand,” he said. “We salute the coaches, athletic directors and school administrators for making these experiences happen, especially with some of the recent growth in several emerging sports. It is great to see new sport opportunities created to involve as many students as possible in high school sports.”
The NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey was started in 1971 and provides the most comprehensive national view of participation in high school sports. It is worth noting that participation totals represent participation entries by member schools, not necessarily unique students — meaning a student who participates in multiple sports would be counted more than once in the totals. A free public Iowa-specific Participation Survey Book featuring both boys and girls numbers is available through the IHSAA Records page.
Iowa high school sports participation figures for 2025-26 by sport are as follows. Boys: football 19,383; track and field 12,935; basketball 10,394; baseball 10,146; wrestling 7,075; soccer 6,938; golf 5,906; cross country 5,106; tennis 2,193; bowling 1,969; swimming 1,262. Girls: volleyball 11,480; track and field 9,854; softball 7,064; soccer 5,620; basketball 5,982; wrestling 3,468; cross country 3,870; golf 3,566; tennis 2,773; bowling 1,292; swimming 1,326.
