Iowa High School Sports To Allow For Eighth-Graders To Compete

Board of Education approves ruling, with decision ultimately up to schools.

Newell-Fonda girls basketball team celebrates after winning 1A girls high school basketball title games on March 7, 2026, at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The State Board of Education on Iowa has approved a rule that would allow eighth-graders to compete at the Iowa high school sports levels in all sports.

However, the decision is up to the discretion of each high school.

“So local interscholastic athletics locally controlled, local policies about which sports to offer, open rosters versus competition, coaching decisions,” State Board of Education attorney Thomas Mayes said (thanks to Radio Iowa for the quotes). “Nothing in this bill displaces any of those.”

New Rule Regarding Eighth-Graders Goes Into Effect August 1

The ruling goes into effect on August 1 and also states that athletes cannot play on both junior high and high school teams at the same time. He also hopes that each school will take into heavy consideration the nature of the sport and the student before making the decision to play an eighth-grader at the high school level.

“Not all 13-year-olds are the same,” he said. “Not all 19-year-olds are the same. Not all sports are the same.

“So providing a little bit more direction to the medical professionals who are doing these annual physicals.”

Officials Hope Schools Use Strong Discrection In Playing, Not Playing Eighth-Graders

One key note is that currently, high school student athletes must take at least four courses and pass them all to be academically eligible to compete. However, eighth-graders will not be held to that same standard.

Mayes mentioned that is the same standard currently used for eighth-graders who compete in baseball and softball during the summer.

There will also be no rule regarding schools in different classifications using eighth-graders or not.

“There’s no need to, because it’s not something that we currently regulate,” he said. “There’s no proposal.”

Several basketball programs in recent years have had to cancel varsity seasons due to a lack of players. The same holds true for high school football in Iowa.

Board Of Education Also Changes Transfer Rule Regarding Days Sitting Out

Along with making that decision regarding eighth-graders, the board also approved changing the transfer rule from student athletes needing to sit out 90 school days to 140 calendar days.

“It primarily accounts for how sports seasons are of different length and what happens if somebody is a summer sport athlete,” Mayes said. “They play softball or baseball and there’s no school days to count towards that 90 days. So to even it out amongst the three sports seasons, the change is from 90 school to 140 calendar.”

A permanent vote will be held in September following a public hearing scheduled for August 11.