HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

High school membership shall be open to any Category 1, 2, 3 or 4 school in Tennessee which includes grade 9 and/or higher. Any school desiring membership in high school division of TSSAA may make application to the Board of Control.

Any school participating in a sanctioned sport(s) that is desiring membership in the high school division may make application to the Board of Control by the November meeting prior to the school year in which they would like to join. Any school desiring to only participate in a cooperative program that is desiring membership in the high school division should make application to the Board of Control by the June meeting prior to the school year in which they would like to join.

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

Middle school membership shall be open to any Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 school that includes the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, for boys and girls interscholastic competition. Any Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 school that terminates with the 6th grade may be a member for the purposes of forming a cooperative program for the 6th grade students only.

Any school participating in a championship event sport that is desiring membership in the middle school division must submit their request to join by November 15th prior to the school year in which they would like to join. Any school desiring to only participate in a cooperative program that is desiring membership in the middle school division should submit their request to join by June 1st prior to the school year in which they would like to join.

Schools that make application after the aforementioned deadlines may be approved for membership, but will not be eligible for postseason competition, nor will member schools be required to schedule contests with them.

To start the process of becoming a member of TSSAA, a school administrator must complete and submit the TSSAA New Member Request Form. On the form, the school administrator will have the option of joining the high school division only, the middle school division only, or both divisions. The form must be submitted at least one week prior to the appropriate Board of Control meeting.

Board of Control Meeting Schedule: August 17, 2026, November 19, 2026, January 14, 2027, March 3, 2027, June 8, 2027

TSSAA member schools must join for all sports the school offers that are sanctioned by TSSAA. For example, a school may not join for basketball only if the school also offers a football program.

Member schools that withdraw their TSSAA membership must be an affiliate member for one year upon application to renew membership. Affiliate membership is defined as having all rights of other member schools but not being allowed to participate in the TSSAA tournament series.

Further information about membership can be found in Article I, Section 1 of the TSSAA Bylaws. Questions about membership can be directed to membership@tssaa.org.

Annual Membership Dues

The annual membership dues will be $1.50 per student. The minimum total membership fee for a school shall be $300. High schools that include both middle school and high school grade configurations (i.e. grades 6-12 or K-12) will pay the high school membership fee and may choose to join at the middle school level for an additional membership fee of $150. The maximum membership fee for a high school shall be $2,500. The maximum membership fee for a middle school shall be $1,500.

Membership dues must be paid annually by September 15 and are for the entire school year (July 1 - June 30). There will be a $5.00 per business day late fee for schools that fail to meet this deadline. Membership Statements are made available in July through the TSSAA Portal.

Submitting your Membership Statement:

  1. Sign-in to the TSSAA Portal using your email address.
  2. From the left side menu, select "Forms" and then "New Form." Select the Membership Statement and follow the instructions to submit your Statement. After the Statement is submitted, links to both the contract and invoice will be shown.
  3. Send a check for payment of membership dues to the TSSAA office by September 15. A printable, itemized invoice showing the total amount due can be found in the Accounting area of the Portal.

Annual membership dues include catastrophic insurance coverage. Additional fees are charged for non-faculty coaches and the high school division wrestling weight management assessment program.

Annual Membership Contract

Member schools must submit the signed membership contract (accessible after you submit your Membership Statement) via file upload to the Portal. This must be received with the signature of the head of school (principal) no later than August 15.

High School Division

For tournament competition, there are two categories. Division I shall consist of all member public schools. Division II shall consist of all member independent schools (NOTE: Independent Schools are required to follow the Tuition & Financial Aid Rule as written in the TSSAA Bylaws).