Two Iowa High Schools Set To Join New Athletic Conference

Two Iowa high schools are set to become the newest members of an athletic conference.

Waverly-Shell Rock High School and Decorah High School were officially recommended to join the WaMaC along with 12 other high schools in Iowa.

The ruling came down from the Iowa Conference Realignment Committee during a recent meeting. It approved by the current schools, Waverly-Shell Rock and Decorah would both join the WaMaC starting in 2027-28 from independent status.

“We are just looking forward to having certainty and a home,” Waverly-Shell Rock High School principal Brady Weber told KWWL. “It is something that’s a challenge for us as a district to be independent. It’s expensive, it’s not travel friendly, it’s inconsistent on scheduling.

“It creates inconsistencies for our athletics and our arts.”

Waverly-Shell Rock Previously Applied To Join WaMaC

Waverly-Shell Rock twice before applied for membership to the WaMaC.

The WaMaC, named for the Wapsipinicon, Maquoketa and Cedar rivers, currently includes Solon High School, Center Point-Urbana High School, Mount Vernon High School, Marion High School, West Delaware High School, Independence High School, Clear Creek-Amana High School, Benton Community, Vinton-Shellsburg High School, Williamsburg High School, South Tama High School and Grinnell High School.

WaMaC Dates Back To Early 1940s

First founded in 1941, the WaMaC is home to mostly Class 3A schools. The 2025-26 BEDS numbers for the current list of WaMaC conference schools ranges from a low of 318 by Williamsburg to a high of 607 by Clear Creek-Amana.

With the addition of Waverly-Shell Rock, they would come in just under Clear Creek-Amana, holding a number of 574 for the 2025-26 athletic year. Decorah, meanwhile, is at 413 for the same athletic school year.

In the 2026-27 numbers, Clear Creek-Amana moves up to 626 while maintaining the top spot in the WaMaC, as Waverly-Shell Rock drops down to 547, but will still be second in its new conference.

Marion is just a handful of students behind Waverly-Shell Rock, with Decorah No. 4 overall.

Several Iowa High Schools Shifting Conferences In Coming Years

Previously, the Iowa Conference Realignment Committee approved Carroll High School to the Hawkeye Ten Conference, Lewis Central High School to the Missouri River Conference, Martensdale-St. Marys High School to the West Central Conference, Pella High School and Van Meter High School to the Raccoon River Conference, and Red Oak High School and Shenandoah High School to the Western Iowa Conference.

Carroll, Lewis Central, Martensdale-St. Marys, Red Oak and Shenandoah will all make the transition starting with the upcoming 2026-27 school year while Van Meter moves in 2027-28. Pella is scheduled to make the change starting in 2028-29.

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