The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) is the

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

that oversees public

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

sporting contests in the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. Formed in 1946, the MPSSAA is made up of public high schools from each of

's 23 counties and independent city of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, which joined the association in 1993 when its public high schools withdrew from the earlier longtime athletic league, the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) which was founded in 1919. The MSA had been composed of public high schools in Baltimore and private/religious/independent schools on the secondary level in Baltimore and its metropolitan area and the surrounding central Maryland region. It was one of the few state-level interscholastic athletic leagues in the nation composed of both public and private/religious/independent secondary schools. After the Baltimore City public high schools withdrew from the MSA, the remaining private/religious/independent schools conferred and organized two parallel regional/state-wide athletic leagues with sports competition and exercise activities with one for young men and the other for young women. These were the

Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (M.I.A.A.) is a boys' sports conference for private high schools generally located in the Baltimore metropolitan area but extending to various other regions, including the state's mostly rural Ea ...

(MISAA—for boys) and the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (ISAAM—for girls), which still exist today. All three state-wide athletic leagues, two for private/religious/independent secondary schools and one for co-ed public high schools exist today marrying on the proud traditions, memories and championships of the old Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA)—one of the oldest state athletic leagues for secondary schools in the country. The current MPSSAA includes nearly 200 public high schools, with more than 110,000 student-athletes participating in 24 sports. The Association is governed by the Division of Instruction of the

Maryland State Department of Education Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is a division of the state government of Maryland in the United States. The agency oversees public school districts, which are 24 local school systems—one for each of Maryland's 23 counties plus on ...

. All public

s in Maryland in the 23

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

who qualify under the established rules and regulations may become members of the MPSSAA. The stated purpose of the MPSSAA is "to promote, direct, and control all interscholastic activities of high school students; to establish, maintain, and enforce regulations to assure that all such activities are part of and contribute toward the comprehensive educational program of the state of Maryland; to work with the state department of education in the development of the program to safeguard the physical, mental, and moral welfare of high school students and protect them from exploitation."

Member high schools

Due to the state's unique geography, Maryland high school athletics is divided into nine districts by the MPSSAA for purposes of organizing athletic activities and postseason tournaments. MPSSAA member schools compete within geographic regions (jurisdictions) and are divided into leagues across the state. In total, there are five conferences and six counties competing together to form a league, but remaining independent.

Classifications

The MPSSAA's 199 member schools are arranged by classification to ensure that schools compete on a regular basis with other schools in the geographic area of a similar size. The classifications are 1A (the smallest), 2A, 3A, and 4A (the largest). * 1A = Lowest 25 percent based on enrollment * 2A = Next 25 percent based on enrollment * 3A = Next 25 percent based on enrollment * 4A = Top 25 percent based on enrollment

District Alignment

*District 1 – Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties *District 2 – Montgomery County *District 3 – Prince George's County *District 4 – Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's counties *District 5 – Anne Arundel and Howard counties *District 6 – Baltimore County *District 7 – Cecil and Harford counties *District 8 – Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties *District 9 – Baltimore City

Conferences

Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference

Bayside Conference

Monocacy Valley Athletic League

Southern Maryland Athletic Conference

Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference

Independents

Anne Arundel County League

* Annapolis High School *

Arundel High School Arundel High School is a public high school located in Gambrills, Maryland, a suburb of Anne Arundel County. The school is part of the Anne Arundel County Public School system, and is the primary high school for Gambrills and portions of the ...

Broadneck High School Broadneck High School is a school in the United States, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on Green Holly Drive, on the border between Arnold and Cape St. Claire, suburbs of Annapolis. The Bruin is the school's mascot. Broadneck is part o ...

* Chesapeake High School * Crofton High School *

Glen Burnie High School Glen Burnie High School is a large public high school located in the Baltimore suburb of Glen Burnie, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1923, the school is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. Today, Glen Burnie Senior High ...

Meade High School Meade Senior High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located at Fort Meade, Maryland, United States and is administered by Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Since its opening in 1977, the school has been accredited by the ...

* North County High School * Northeast High School *

Old Mill High School Old Mill High School is a public high school in Millersville, Maryland, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It was occupied in 1975 and is administered by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS). The school was built to alleviate overcro ...

Severna Park High School Severna Park High School is a public high school located in the suburban CDP of Severna Park, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system. SPHS opened its doors to students in 1959 and was the seventh pub ...

* South River High School * Southern High School

Baltimore City League

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a classical liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C ...

("City") *

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, colloquially referred to as BPI, Poly, and The Institute, is a US public high school founded in 1883. Established as an all-male manual trade / vocational high school by the Baltimore City Council and the ...

("Poly") * Carver Vocational Technical High School *

Digital Harbor High School Digital Harbor High School is a magnet high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Occupying the campus of the former Southern High School, it is currently one of two secondary schools and a comprehensive high school that specia ...

(formerly Southern High School) * Paul Laurence Dunbar High School *

Edmondson-Westside High School Edmondson-Westside High School is a public high school located in the southwest area known as Edmondson Village of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is made up of two buildings, the Edmondson Building (located on Athol Avenue) wh ...

* Frederick Douglass High School * Forest Park High School *

Lake Clifton Eastern High School Lake Clifton Eastern High School (LCEHS) was a public high school closed in 2005, located in the Clifton Park area of northeast Baltimore, Maryland. Originally called Lake Clifton High School (LCHS), although it was commonly known as Lake High ...

Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School (commonly referred to as "Mervo" or "MerVo-Tech") is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is one of the two premiere vocational-technical high schools in the city, the othe ...

("Mervo") * Northwestern High School * Patterson High School * Reginald F. Lewis High School * Southwestern High School * Western High School

Baltimore County League

* Catonsville High School * Chesapeake High School * Dulaney High School *

Dundalk High School Dundalk High School (DHS) is a four-year public high school in the United States, located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The school opened in 1959. Starting in 2010, DHS was rebuilt and combined with Sollers Point Technical High School. The new ...

* Eastern Technical High School * Franklin High School * George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology * Hereford High School * Kenwood High School * Lansdowne High School * Loch Raven High School * Milford Mill Academy * New Town High School * Overlea High School * Owings Mills High School * Parkville High School *

Patapsco High School Patapsco High School and Center For The Arts is a public high school in the United States, located in Dundalk in Baltimore County, Maryland, near Baltimore. About the School Patapsco is located in the suburban community of Dundalk, in southeast ...

* Perry Hall High School *

Pikesville High School Pikesville High School (PHS) is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools consolidated school district. The school is located in the community of Pikesville, j ...

* Randallstown High School * Sparrows Point High School *

Towson High School Towson High School is a high school#United States of America, high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, founded in 1873. The school's current stone structure was built in 1949. Located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson, ...

* Western School of Technology and Environmental Science * Woodlawn High School

Howard County League

Atholton High School Atholton High School is a high school in Columbia, Maryland, United States and is a part of the Howard County Public School System. The school hosts an Army JROTC program. The school mascot is the Raider. History Atholton takes its name from a ...

* Centennial High School * Glenelg High School * Guilford Park High School * Hammond High School * Howard High School * Long Reach High School * Marriotts Ridge High School * Mount Hebron High School *

Oakland Mills High School Oakland Mills High School was established in 1973 as one of the first high schools to serve the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, established by James Rouse and his company, The Rouse Company in 1967 in Howard County, midway between Balt ...

* Reservoir High School * River Hill High School *

Wilde Lake High School Wilde Lake High School is a secondary school located at the village of Wilde Lake in Columbia, Maryland, Columbia, Maryland, United States. It is one of the 13 public high schools in Howard County, Maryland, Howard County. The school is central ...

Montgomery County League

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda, Maryland, Bethesda. Part of the Montgomery County Public Schools ...

Montgomery Blair High School Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school in the Four Corners, Maryland, Four Corners neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. It is operated by Montgomery County Public Schools (M ...

James Hubert Blake High School James Hubert Blake High School (or Blake High School) is a public high school located in Cloverly, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Blake offers a signature program in fine arts and humanities. James Hubert ...

* Winston Churchill High School * Clarksburg High School * Damascus High School *

Albert Einstein High School Albert Einstein High School (AEHS) is a four-year public high school in Kensington, Maryland, United States. It first opened in 1962 and is named after the German-born physicist Albert Einstein. It is part of the Montgomery County Public School ...

Gaithersburg High School Gaithersburg High School (GHS) is a public high school in Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States. Part of Montgomery County Public Schools, the school is located at 101 Education Boulevard and consists of grades 9–12. Its feeder schools are Fo ...

Walter Johnson High School Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a Public school (government funded), public High school (North America), upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland, North Bethesda, ...

* John F. Kennedy High School *

Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School Col. Zadok Magruder High School (#510) is a secondary public school located in Rockville, Maryland, Rockville (Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County), Maryland, United States. Magruder is named for Colonel Zadok Magruder, a American Revo ...

Richard Montgomery High School Richard Montgomery High School (RMHS) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school located in Rockville, Maryland. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland), Montgomery County Public Schools system. RMHS hosts the ...

* Northwest High School *

Northwood High School Northwood High School may refer to: * Northwood High School (Irvine, California) * Northwood High School (Louisiana) * Northwood High School (Maryland) * NorthWood High School, Nappanee, Indiana * Northwood High School (North Carolina), Pittsboro ...

Paint Branch High School Paint Branch High School is a public high school located in the Fairland census-designated place in unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland, with a Burtonsville postal address. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system. The ...

* Poolesville High School * Quince Orchard High School * Rockville High School *

Seneca Valley High School Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Germantown, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system. The current building was finished in 2021, and has a capac ...

* Sherwood High School * Springbrook High School *

Watkins Mill High School Watkins Mill High School is a public high school located in Gaithersburg, an incorporated city in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is named after the Watkins family, who owned a mill on the property. The school opened in 1989 at 269,706&n ...

Wheaton High School Wheaton High School is a U.S. four-year public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the unincorporated Wheaton- Glenmont section of Montgomery County, near Silver Spring, about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C. The high ...

* Walt Whitman High School *

Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School Thomas S. Wootton High School or Wootton High School (WHS) is a public high school in Rockville, Maryland. Its namesake is Thomas S. Wootton, the founder of Montgomery County, Maryland. The school was founded in 1970 and is part of the Montgome ...

Prince George's County League

Bladensburg High School Bladensburg High School is a public high school located in Bladensburg, Maryland, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district. The school serves: the towns of Bla ...

* Bowie High School * Central High School * Crossland High School * Frederick Douglass High School * DuVal High School * Fairmont Heights High School * Charles Herbert Flowers High School *

Friendly High School Friendly High School is a public high school in Friendly census-designated place in unincorporated Prince George's County, a county in the state of Maryland in the United States; it has a Fort Washington postal address.

Gwynn Park High School Gwynn Park High School (GPHS) is in Brandywine census-designated place, Prince George's County, Maryland,Henry Alexander Wise Jr., High School *

High Point High School High Point High School (HPHS) is a public high school located in Beltsville, an unincorporated section of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The school, serving children in grades 9 through 12, is part of the Prince George's Co ...

* Largo High School * Laurel High School * Northwestern High School *

Oxon Hill High School Oxon Hill High School (OHHS) is a public senior high school, located in Oxon Hill, an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the United States.Parkdale High School Parkdale High School (PHS) is a public high school located in Riverdale Park, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Enrollment was 2,800 students in grades nine through twelve as of 2024. Par ...

* Potomac High School * Eleanor Roosevelt High School * Suitland High School * Surrattsville High School

References

External links

* {{NFHS High school sports associations in the United States Maryland high school sports conferences Sports organizations established in 1946

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