Arkansas Activities Association

Sanctioned sports

The AAA currently governs a total of 12 sports:

Other activities

Although the word "activities" is used in the name, the AAA is directly responsible only for interscholastic athletics. Other activities, including music, forensics, and spirit groups, are governed by their own associations affiliated with yet not part of the AAA, who is only responsible for sanctioning the events. These associations usually adopt the AAA's means of determining eligibility as well as its size classifications seen below, but regional classifications and means of organizing events are left only to their respective associations.

The AAA maintains affiliations with several non-sporting activities associations. These associations generally use AAA guidelines regarding a student's eligibility to participate.

Arkansas Communication and Theatre Arts Association (ACTAA) — a professional non-profit organization that serves the students and teachers of Oral Communication, Debate, Forensic Activities, Theatre, and Dance in Arkansas. ACTAA is affiliated with the Arkansas District of the National Forensics League.

Arkansas Association of Student Councils (AASC) — an organization that support student government and Student Council activities; affiliated with National Association of Student Councils (NASC).

Arkansas Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (AR JSHS) — annual event that is designed to challenge and engage students (Grades 9-12) in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). Individual students compete for scholarships and recognition by presenting the results of their original research efforts before a panel of judges and an audience of their peers.

Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association (ASBOA) — supports students and educators with competitions in a variety of marching band, jazz band, and orchestra.

Arkansas Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) & Arkansas Journalism Advisors Association (AJAA) — provides students and educators with resources, competitions and programs focused on yearbook, newspaper, photography and digital media.

Arkansas FFA — chartered in 1928 and serves as state organization within the National FFA Organization.

Organization

The AAA organizes its member schools by 3-year average daily membership (ADM) in grades 10-12 every two years. Each classification is organized by rank, as opposed to a minimum threshold, to maintain consistent numbers for each class.

Classifications

Since 2006, the schools have been organized as follows.

Class 7A (16 largest schools)

Class 6A (next 16 largest schools)

Class 5A (next 32 largest schools)

Class 4A (next 48 largest schools that sponsor football ("football schools"), as well as all non-football schools within range)

Class 3A (same means as Class 4A)

Class 2A (next 48 largest schools and remainder of football schools)

Class 1A (all remaining schools)

The means of placing private schools within these classifications have become a key issue in Arkansas. Prior to 2002, only single-gender schools would have its enrollment altered, in this case by doubling the reported enrollment. In 2002, the enrollments reported by private schools was multiplied by 1.35. In 2006, that multiplier was increased to 1.75. Starting in 2008, the multiplier wil be dropped altogether, and each private school will be placed one classification above where the enrollment would otherwise place the school. In 2012, enrollment for private schools that were segregated were combined (for example, Catholic High School for Boys with Mount Saint Mary Academy (for Girls)).

Within each classification, the schools are further grouped into conferences, each with 6-8 schools apiece. In Classes 7A-5A, the conferences are named according to directional region (i.e. 7A-West, 6A-Central, 5A-Southeast). In the smaller classes, the conferences are named according to the activity district number which the conference is centrally located (a class 4A conference in western Arkansas would be the 4A-4 conference). In smaller classes, there can be more than one conference within an activity district. These are further named according to directional area (a pair of class 2A conferences in southwest Arkansas would be the 2A-7 West and 2A-7 East). Classes 3A and 2A group conferences for football and basketball separately (Mountainburg is in Conference 3A-1 for football and 3A-4 for basketball). Finally, sports with limited sponsorship, such as soccer and swimming, have their own conferences between the participants. These special conferences often transcend multiple classes.

From 2010 to 2016, the rules for 7A and 6A classification for football were changed. The divisions still compete in separate playoffs, but two regional conferences that have previously been exclusive to 7A or 6A now have a mix of 7A and 6A schools so as to save on transportation expenses during the regular season.

Conferences

For purposes of clarity, the activity districts with regions covered are as follows.

District 1 (northwest Arkansas)

District 2 (north central Arkansas)

District 3 (northeast Arkansas)

District 4 (west Arkansas)

District 5 (central Arkansas)

District 6 (east Arkansas)

District 7 (southwest Arkansas)

District 8 (southeast Arkansas)

The AAA has changed both the names and means of these classifications over time.

Prior to 1977, the classes ranged from Class AAAA to Class C, with AAAA including the 8 largest schools in Arkansas. In 1977, the first "class shift" added an "A" to each class, and references to Class C were removed.

In 1983, Class AAAAA merged into and was renamed Class AAAA, with all other classes relatively consistent.

In 1998, the state witnessed the second "class shift", this time removing all references to Class B.

In 2006, Class AAAAA was split in half, and Classes AAA and AA, both with over 70 schools each, were reorganized into three smaller classes. At first, the largest class was called Class AAAAAAA. The current naming conventions, changing the reference to 7A, were adopted soon after.

Prior to 2006, the activity district number was placed in front of the class for conference names (i.e. 4AAA, 7AA-East). These naming conventions changed as well, but many local media outlets still placed the district number before the class (3-4A instead of 4A-3). Prior to this, a few outlets mixed prior references to new ones (some newspapers in western Arkansas made references to the 4AAA-West, yet such a conference never existed).

Class 7A

The following conferences exist within the 7A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 6A

The following conferences exist within the 6A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 5A

The following conferences exist within the 5A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 4A

The following conferences exist within the 4A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 3A

The conference membership within the 3A Classification are adjusted for schools that do not field a football team. The following conferences exist within the 3A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 2A

The conference membership within the 2A Classification are adjusted for schools that do not field a football team. The following conferences exist within the 2A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Class 1A

The following conferences exist within the 1A classification for the 2016–18 school years:

Academic competitions

The state's Quiz Bowl competitions are organized by the Arkansas Governor's Quiz Bowl Association (AGQBA) as sanctioned by the AAA.

List of Arkansas state high school quiz bowl champions

Each spring, the Arkansas Governor's Quiz Bowl Association holds the state tournament finals for each classification. These matches are broadcast on the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN).

7A classification

2014 – Fort Smith Southside (Champion); Cabot (Runner-up)

2013 – Fort Smith Southside (Champion); ASMSA (Runner-up)

2012 – ASMSA (Champion); Conway (Runner-up)

2011 – Cabot (Champion); Fort Smith Southside (Runner-up)

2010 – Fort Smith Southside (Champion); Little Rock Central (Runner-up)

2009 – LR Catholic (Champion); Fort Smith Northside (Runner-up)

2008 – LR Central (Champion); Cabot (Runner-up)

2007 – Fort Smith Southside (Champion); Cabot (Runner-up)

(Prior to 2006-2007 school year Arkansas had only five classification divisions.)

6A classification

2015 - Benton (Champion); Russellville (Runner-up)

2014 – Benton (Champion); Greenwood (Runner-up)

2013 – Searcy (Champion); Benton (Runner-up)

2012 – Benton (Champion); Little Rock Parkview (Runner-up)

2011 – Little Rock Parkview (Champion); Benton (Runner-up)

2010 – Little Rock Parkview (Champion); Watson Chapel (Runner-up)

2009 – Benton (Champion); Watson Chapel (Runner-up)

2008 – Little Rock Parkview (Champion); Benton (Runner-up)

2007 – Little Rock Parkview (Champion); Benton (Runner-up)

(Prior to 2006-2007 school year Arkansas had only five classification divisions.)

5A classification

2015 - Morrilton (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2014 – Watson Chapel (Champion); Morrilton (Runner-up)

2013 – Watson Chapel (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2012 – Watson Chapel (Champion); Huntsville(Runner-up)

2011 – Watson Chapel (Champion); Huntsville(Runner-up)

2010 – Morrilton (Champion); Little Rock Mills (Runner-up)

2009 – Morrilton (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2008 – Little Rock Christian (Champion); Morrilton (Runner-up)

2007 – Batesville (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2006 – Cabot(Champion); Fort Smith Southside (Runner-up)

2005 – Benton(Champion); Fort Smith Southside (Runner-up)

2004 – Fort Smith Northside(Champion); Fort Smith Southside (Runner-up)

2003 – Benton(Champion); Little Rock Catholic (Runner-up)

2002 – Fort Smith Northside(Champion); Little Rock Catholic (Runner-up)

2001 – Fort Smith Northside (Champion);Benton(Runner-up)

2000 – Fort Smith Northside(Champion); Benton (Runner-up)

4A classification

2014 – Arkadelphia (Champion); Maumelle (Runner-up)

2013 – Subiaco Academy (Champion); Gravette (Runner-up)

2012 – Nashville (Champion); Subiaco Academy (Runner-up)

2011 – Farmington (Champion); Subiaco Academy (Runner-up)

2010 – Malvern (Champion); Huntsville (Runner-up)

2009 – Subiaco Academy (Champion); Malvern (Runner-up)

2008 – Huntsville (Champion); Subiaco Academy (Runner-up)

2007 – Hamburg (Champion); Pocahontas (Runner-up)

2006 – Malvern (Champion); Morrilton (Runner-up)

2005 – Morrilton (Champion); Huntsville (Runner-up)

2004 – Vilonia (Champion); Morrilton (Runner-up)

2003 – Morrilton (Champion); Vilonia (Runner-up)

2002 – Morrilton (Champion); Watson Chapel (Runner-up)

2001 – Morrilton (Champion); Watson Chapel (Runner-up)

2000 – Watson Chapel (Champion); Morrilton (Runner-up)

3A classification

2014 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Fountain Lake (Runner-up)

2013 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Fountain Lake (Runner-up)

2012 – Centerpoint (Champion); Episcopal Collegiate (Runner-up)

2011 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Arkansas Baptist (Runner-up)

2010 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Centerpoint (Runner-up)

2009 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Centerpoint (Runner-up)

2008 – Bauxite (Champion); Episcopal Collegiate (Runner-up)

2007 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Salem (Runner-up)

2006 – Dardanelle (Champion); Nashville (Runner-up)

2005 – Little Rock Christian (Champion); Dardanelle (Runner-up)

2004 – Dardanelle (Champion); Pulaski Academy (Runner-up)

2003 – Dardanelle (Champion); Pulaski Academy (Runner-up)

2002 – Huntsville (Champion); Bald Knob (Runner-up)

2001 – Bald Knob (Champion); Huntsville (Runner-up)

2000 – Bald Knob (Champion); Huntsville (Runner-up)

2A classification

2014 – Cedar Ridge (Champion); Hazen (Runner-up)

2013 – Conway Christian (Champion); Cedar Ridge (Runner-up)

2012 – Cedar Ridge (Champion); Gurdon (Runner-up)

2011 – Murfreesboro (Champion); Gurdon (Runner-up)

2010 – Murfreesboro (Champion); Magazine- J. D. Leftwich (Runner-up)

2009 – Melbourne (Champion); Cutter Morningstar (Runner-up)

2008 – Woodlawn (Champion); Parkers Chapel (Runner-up)

2007 – Walnut Ridge (Champion); Gillett (Runner-up)

2006 – Episcopal Collegiate (Champion); Centerpoint (Runner-up)

2005 – Walnut Ridge (Champion); Centerpoint (Runner-up)

2004 – Cutter Morningstar (Champion); Centerpoint (Runner-up)

2003 – Cutter Morningstar (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2002 – Cutter Morningstar (Champion); Izard County Consolidated (Runner-up)

2001 – Centerpoint (Champion); Izard County Consolidated (Runner-up)

2000 – Centerpoint (Champion); Walnut Ridge (Runner-up)

1A classification

2014 – Haas Hall (Champion); LISA Academy North (Runner-up)

2013 – Haas Hall (Champion); Alpena (Runner-up)

2012 – Haas Hall(Champion); eStem (Runner-up)

2011 – Norfolk (Champion); Ridgefield Christian (Runner-up)

2010 – Sacred Heart(Champion); South Side Bee Branch (Runner-up)

2009 – Haas Hall (Champion); Academics Plus (Runner-up)

2008 – Haas Hall (Champion); LISA Academy (Runner-up)

2007 – Alpena(Champion); Haas Hall (Runner-up)

2006 – Van Cove (Champion); Haas Hall (Runner-up)

2005 – Scranton (Champion); Van Cove (Runner-up)

2004 – Van Cove (Champion); Lead Hill (Runner-up)

2003 – Sulphur Rock (Champion); Van Cove (Runner-up)

2002 – Armorel (Champion); Little Rock Christian (Runner-up)

2001 – Walnut Valley Christian(Champion); Delight (Runner-up)

2000 – Walnut Valley Christian(Champion); Delight (Runner-up)

List of Arkansas state high school football champions

To decide a winner of each classification, each conference sends the top 5 teams within them to attend the state playoffs. All number 1 seed schools get a first round bye. The playoffs are in a single elimination tournament that decides the best teams in a classification. Rounds are played weekly until two teams remain in the tournament. The two remaining teams will play at a set location to decide the state champion in the classification. These rules for playoffs apply to football only.

List of Arkansas state high school girls cross country champions

The following is a (fall sport) list of Arkansas state champions in girls cross country:

List of Arkansas state high school boys cross country champions

The following is a (fall sport) list of Arkansas state champions in boys cross country:

List of Arkansas state high school dance champions

The state competitive dance championships are held annually in November or December.

List of Arkansas state high school cheer champions

The state competitive cheer championships are held annually in November or December.

List of Arkansas state high school basketball champions

The basketball season begins each November with the state basketball championship tournament held annually in late February and March.

List of Arkansas state high school boys bowling champions

The bowling season begins each November with the state bowling championship tournament held annually in late February.

According to the AAA Bowling Handbok, all Arkansas Activities Association rules will be followed. Rules for competition shall be those of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) American Bowling Alliance. Arkansas Activities Association rules prevail in case of a conflict with standard USBC rules.

List of Arkansas state high school girls bowling champions

According to the AAA Bowling Handbook, all Arkansas Activities Association rules will be followed. Rules for competition shall be those of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) American Bowling Alliance. Arkansas Activities Association rules prevail in case of a conflict with standard USBC rules.

List of Arkansas state high school wrestling champions

Arkansas became the 49th state to add high school wrestling when the Arkansas Activities Association approved wrestling as a sanctioned sport for the 2008–09 season. The wrestling season begins each November with the state wrestling championship tournament held annually in late February. The state tournament combines wrestlers from the 7A and 6A classifications and a separate competition for the 1A through 5A classifications.

List of Arkansas state high school soccer champions

Clarksville 2007

List of Arkansas state high school softball champions

Fast Pitch

2015- Bentonville

2013 – North Little Rock (5), Russelville, White Hall (2), Nashville (3), Benton Harmony Grove (4), Magnet Cove, Taylor (3)

2012 – Bryant (6), Lake Hamilton (4), White Hall, Nashville (2), Mansfield, Junction City, Taylor (2)

2011 – Bryant (5), Searcy, Wynne, Farmington, Atkins, Foreman, Nemo Vista

2010 – Bryant (4), Mountain Home, Greenbrier, Nashville, Arkansas Baptist (4), Foreman, Armorel

2009 – North Little Rock (4), Lake Hamilton (3), Wynne, Dardanelle, Perryville, Foreman, Scranton

2008 – North Little Rock (3), Mountain Home, Nettleton, Ashdown, Elkins, Foreman, Nemo Vista

2007 – Fayetteville, Lake Hamilton (2), Vilonia, Dardanelle, Elkins, Foreman, West Side GF

2006 – Fayetteville, Marion, Central Arkansas Christian, Foreman, Lockesburg

2005 – Benton (2), Batesville, Farmington, Arkansas Baptist (3), Taylor

2004 – Benton, Hope, Booneville, Benton Harmony Grove (3), Lockesburg

2003 – Texarkana, Hope, Prairie Grove (3), Benton Harmony Grove (2), Ouachita

2002 – North Little Rock (2), Nettleton, Prairie Grove (2), Benton Harmony Grove

2001 – North Little Rock, Batesville, Prairie Grove, Newark

2000 – Rogers, Lake Hamilton, Farmington

1999 – Sheridan

Slow Pitch

2003 – McCrory

2002 – Hoxie

2001 – Parkers Chapel, Ouachita

2000 – Sylvan Hills, Murfreesboro, Lockesburg (2)

1999 – Bryant (3), Nashville, Cedarville, Lockesburg

1998 – Benton, Greenwood, Southside Batesville, Arkansas Baptist (2), Guy-Perkins

1997 – Bryant (2), Batesville, Nettleton, Arkansas Baptist

1996 – Bryant, Vilonia, Barton, St. Joseph