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Basketball is a popular sport in Minnesota high schools, with nearly 500 schools, including special schools, home schools, and 435 high schools, participating in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). The MSHSL is a voluntary, non-profit association that supports and governs interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for its member schools. In basketball, the number of divisions or classes depends on the number of schools participating in the activity, with additional classes sometimes needed. For example, in Classes AAAA and AAA, a typical section has eight teams, while a Class AA section can have about 16 teams, and a Class A section can have 20 or more.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Minnesota high schools in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) | 435 |
| Number of special schools and home schools in the MSHSL | ~65 |
| Number of sections in each class | 8 |
| Minimum number of members in a conference | 5 |
| Number of teams in a typical section in Class AAAA and AAA basketball | 8 |
| Number of teams in a typical section in Class AA basketball | 16 |
| Minimum number of teams in a typical section in Class A basketball | 20 |
| Number of teams in most football sections | 8 |
| Number of teams in a football section that advance to the playoffs | 8 |
| Number of teams in a football section with 9 teams that advance to the playoffs | 8 |
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What You'll Learn
Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL)
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association that supports and governs interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, US. The MSHSL was founded in 1916 as the State High School Athletic Association (SHSAA) to promote and regulate school athletics. In 1922, the SHSAA joined the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), becoming an affiliate. Two years later, in 1924, the association expanded its mission to include fine arts programs, and in 1929, it adopted a new name: the Minnesota State High School League.
The MSHSL supports interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for its member schools, which include nearly 500 schools, such as special schools, home schools, and 435 high schools. The league addresses sportsmanship, chemical health, scholarship recognition, and oversees tournament officials and judges. It also provides educational programs for coaches.
In terms of organisation, the MSHSL classifies teams by sport and activity for postseason competition and performances every two years. The MSHSL Board policy determines competitive section placements by enrollment and geography, with a balanced number of schools in each section. The Board of Directors reviews and approves classifications and placements every two years.
Before 1975, schools of all sizes competed against each other in the MSHSL. However, amendments made that year reorganised the league into two classes to reduce the advantage of larger schools. The 128 largest schools by enrollment were assigned to the AA classification, while all other member schools were assigned to Class A. In 1983, the Board of Directors further refined this classification system by assigning schools with at least 500 students to Class AA and those with 1-499 students to Class A. The number of classes can vary depending on the activity and the number of participating schools. For example, in basketball, Classes AAAA and AAA typically have eight teams per section, while Class AA has about 16, and Class A can have 20 or more.
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MSHSL enrollment and classification
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) classifies member schools by sport and activity for postseason competition and performances every two years. The MSHSL enrollment determines a school's classification, which is based on the school's Minnesota Department of Education enrollment in grades 9–12 minus 40% of its educational benefit (free and reduced lunch). Schools have the option to opt up to a higher classification or appeal to move down one class in various activities, including basketball, every two years.
MSHSL enrollment must be within 10% of the enrollment cut-off for that sport or activity. Competitive section placements are determined by enrollment and geography, with a balanced number of schools in each section at the time of placement. The Activity Directors Advisory Committee reviews the placements for geographic contiguity and a balanced number of teams as described in the policy. The Board of Directors reviews and approves classifications and competitive section placements for postseason play in MSHSL-sponsored sports and fine arts activities every two years.
Classification is determined on odd-numbered years every two years. For example, the Competitive Section Placements for teams for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years were approved by the MSHSL Board of Directors in April 2025. The Football Placement Committee meets to assign teams to districts in April and May, and the MSHSL Board of Directors approves all District Football Placements for the upcoming two school years in June.
The full policy on Classification and Competitive Section Placement can be found in the MSHSL Handbook in the 400.00 series on pages 78–81.
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Postseason competition
The MSHSL classifies teams by sport and activity for postseason competition every two years, with competitive section placements determined by enrollment and geography as per MSHSL Board policy. Each class is split into eight sections, with the number of teams in each section varying depending on the class and activity. For example, in basketball, a typical section in Class AA has about 16 teams, while a Class A section can have 20 or more.
The MSHSL determines a school's activity classification and section placement every two years, and schools have the option to appeal or opt up or down every two years as well. Schools are placed by enrollment and geographic location for postseason play, with the Board of Directors reviewing and approving classifications and competitive section placements for MSHSL-sponsored sports and fine arts activities biennially.
While schools are often organized into conferences based on geographic proximity and similar enrollments, a team's conference standing does not impact its postseason prospects. Instead, at the end of the regular season, every MSHSL team is seeded into a sectional tournament, with every team advancing to the postseason in all sports except football.
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School conferences
In Minnesota, due to the large number of high schools and the vast distances between them, schools are often organized into conferences. These conferences, according to Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) rules, must consist of at least five members, usually comprising schools in close geographic proximity with similar enrollments.
The MSHSL is a voluntary, non-profit association that supports and governs interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for its member schools. It has nearly 500 member schools, including special schools, home schools, and 435 high schools. The MSHSL was founded in 1916 as the State High School Athletic Association (SHSAA) to promote and regulate school athletics. It later expanded its mission to include fine arts programs and adopted its current name in 1929.
In 1975, the MSHSL approved amendments to implement a reorganization for two-class competition, with the 128 largest schools by enrollment designated as Class AA, and all other schools as Class A. Each class was further divided into eight sections of varying team numbers. This change aimed to reduce the advantage held by larger schools due to their size. In 1983, the MSHSL adjusted the classification, assigning schools with at least 500 students to Class AA and those with 1-499 students to Class A.
Today, the MSHSL continues to classify teams by sport and activity for postseason competition, with classifications and competitive section placements determined by enrollment and geography. The number of teams in each section varies depending on the class and activity. For example, in basketball, a typical section in Class AAAA or AAA has eight teams, while Class AA sections may have 16, and Class A sections can have 20 or more.
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MSHSL history
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association that supports and governs interscholastic activities, including athletics and fine arts programs, for its member schools. The MSHSL was founded in 1916 as the State High School Athletic Association (SHSAA) to promote and regulate school athletics.
In 1922, the SHSAA joined the National Federation of State High School Associations, and in 1929, it adopted its current name, the Minnesota State High School League, along with a new vision. The League started accepting applications from non-public schools in 1974 and was sanctioned as a non-profit by a Minnesota State Statute in 1960.
The MSHSL was the first state association to officially sanction women's hockey, adapted athletics, robotics, and clay target. On April 17, 1975, the member schools approved amendments to implement reorganization for two-class competition, addressing the inherent advantage given to larger schools. The largest 128 schools by enrollment were assigned to the AA classification, while the remaining schools were designated as Class A. In 1983, the Board of Directors adopted a policy that assigned schools with at least 500 students to Class AA and those with 1-499 students to Class A.
The MSHSL determines a school's activity classification and section placement every two years, with classifications based on enrollment and geographic location. Competitive sections aim to have a balanced number of schools, and the number of teams in each section varies depending on the class and activity. For example, in basketball, Classes AAAA and AAA sections typically have eight teams, while Class AA sections may have 16, and Class A sections can have 20 or more.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 4 divisions in Minnesota high school basketball: Class AAAA, AAA, AA, and A. The number of teams in each section varies, but a typical section in Class AAAA and AAA has 8 teams, a typical section in Class AA has 16 teams, and a Class A section can have 20 or more teams.
The MSHSL is a voluntary, non-profit association that supports and governs interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for member schools in Minnesota. The association has nearly 500 member schools, including special schools, home schools, and high schools. The MSHSL determines schools' activity classifications and section placements every two years based on enrollment and geography.
Teams are placed in divisions based on their MSHSL enrollment, which is determined by the schools' Minnesota Department of Education enrollment in grades 9-12 minus 40% of their educational benefit (free and reduced lunch). Schools with larger enrollments are typically placed in higher divisions, and they have the option to appeal their placement every two years.
