Virginia High School League
Encyclopedia
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high school
s in the Commonwealth of Virginia
. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations, the largest of which is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Homeschooled students also are not allowed to participate in VHSL sanctioned events. A 2008 proposal in the Virginia General Assembly
to allow homeschooled students to compete for their local high school failed to pass.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020402829_pf.html The VHSL was not originally an athletics sanctioning body and continues to sponsor championships in several academic activities.
and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
at the University of Virginia
to originally serve as a debating league for the state's high schools. Over the course of the 1910s, it expanded to over 250 schools and added championships in oral reading, baseball, basketball and track and renamed itself the Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League.
After World War II
, it adopted other sports and began standardizing officiating practices for high school sports. In 1969, it merged with the Virginia Interscholastic Association, which was a similar organization that had served black
schools around the Commonwealth during segregation
. Girls' sports were added around this time. Statewide football playoffs began in 1970.
and has 308 member schools and conducts championships in 27 different sports. Nearly 200,000 students participate in its activities annually. The VHSL is overseen by an Executive Committee elected from the principals and superintendents of the various Virginia school districts. Day to day affairs are handled by the Executive Director and Assistant Directors.
, Hampton Roads
, and Greater Richmond
. Group A schools are typically found in rural areas and the largest concentration is in Southwest Virginia
. Group AA schools are somewhat more widely distributed than the other two and found in rapidly growing areas like Loudoun County
, in and around cities such as Roanoke
, Lynchburg
, Harrisonburg
, and Charlottesville
, and in smaller cities and counties which have a single high school. Unlike many state associations, districts and regions are fixed and the same for every sport with very few exceptions.
Redistricting and regrouping occurs every two years. AAA schools are typically above 1,500 students, AA schools are typically from 700 to about 1,500 students, and A schools are below 700 students. Schools can however choose to play up a group if they wish. Several schools in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas elect to play in Group AAA instead of Group AA due to a reluctance to travel long distances. In Southwest Virginia, some schools elect to play up a class in Group AA due to traditionally being part of that group. Schools can be granted a special dispensation from the VHSL to play down in Group A or AA due to being far from the nearest schools in their class and being relatively close to the dividing line (so a school with 800 or 1,600 students might get this dispensation, while a school with 1,000 or 2,000 students would not.)
In football, each region is further split into two divisions based on school size, so statewide champions are determined in Divisions 1 through 6. Divisions 1 and 2 are for Group A with Division 2 being the larger one; 3 and 4, the AA schools; and 5 and 6, the AAA schools. Since the average sizes of schools vary by region, some schools in the lower division of one region have enrollments which would place them in the higher division of another region and vice-versa. Most districts contain members in both divisions of its group so a single district can have two state championships teams. The division format was adopted in 1986 for football.
In 2008, the division format was adopted for basketball in Group A, and in 2009 for basketball in Group AA. In many sports other than football, both the regional champion and regional runner-up advance to participate in the state tournament.
Offered for boys: Baseball, Football, Wrestling(girls are eligible to wrestle also)
Offered for girls: Cheerleading, Field hockey, Softball
(Boys' and girls' sports will allow members of the opposite gender to participate in some circumstances.)
Academic activities: Creative Writing, Debate, Drama (one-act plays), Forensics (a variety of individual events), Magazines,
Newspapers, Scholastic Bowl (a variety of quizbowl
), Yearbooks
Academic activities are coed and not considered varsity athletics by most schools. Academic activities are usually awarded different letters and merits from athletics.
The VHSL academic activities season begins in September with a series of journalism education workshops in four cities across the state that is sponsored by Jostens. The VHSL/Jostens Regional Workshops began in 2005 and target both students and advisers of newspaper, magazine and yearbook publications. The 2007 series will include stops in Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke and Dulles.
This event is followed up by what is referred to as the state journalism workshop, or the Championship Journalism Workshop in October, which is both an educational and recognition event. Held at Virginia Commonwealth University
since 1989, the CJW celebrates the results of the newspaper, magazine and yearbook evaluations that schools submit each June to the VHSL. The two-day workshop offers about 100 classes that are taught mostly by the state's top advisers, but also by college professors, industry professionals and recognized out-of-state advisers. Since 2005, the awards portion of this event has been held in the nearby historic Jefferson Hotel
grand ballroom. State champions in newspaper, magazine and yearbook publications are given an evaluation on their publication known as Trophy Class. Publications that receive five Trophy Class ratings in seven or fewer years are also awarded the Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence, named after renowned yearbook adviser Colonel Charles Savedge. The VHSL also annually awards the Student Journalist of the Year to a deserving senior, which comes with the Savedge scholarship.
The VHSL academic season continues with the Group A and AA One Act Theatre Festivals, traditionally held the first week of December in Charlottesville. Eight schools representing the top two in both district and regional competition, present plays that are 35 or fewer minutes in length. Preferably four, but no fewer than three judges usually consisting of both high school directors and professionals evaluate the performances and recognize both the champion and runner-up school. Also recognized are eight outstanding actors.
In February, the top eight schools that have advanced from regional competition in Groups A, AA and AAA go at the College of William and Mary
for Scholastic Bowl competition. Two, four-person teams meet head-to-head in this double-elimination tournament, answering questions in mathematics, science/health, social studies, English and miscellany (including current events, fine arts, music, entertainment and sports). There are three rounds, two toss-up rounds where either team may answer, and one round of directed questioning toward individual schools. Toss-up rounds consist of 15 questions and directed rounds include 10 questions per team. The champion and runner-up are recognized in each grouping.
The state forensics tournament occurs on a single day in late March/early April and consists of ten individual events: duo interpretation, serious dramatic interpretation, humorous dramatic interpretation, storytelling, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation, foreign extemporaneous speaking, domestic extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking and original oratory. At this tournament, Group A, AA and AAA competition occur separately, but simultaneously. The top six students in each category and in each group are recognized with the top four earning points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized.
Debate is a two-day tournament in April that features four events: Student Congress, Lincoln-Douglas, Contemporary Policy and Classic Policy. This competition has taken place at Liberty University
since 1999. Student Congress, added in 2004, is the newest VHSL debate event. The top four individuals (or two-person policy teams) earn points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized.
The VHSL academic activities season culminates with the judging of creative writing entries announced in mid-late May. In March, schools submit a folder containing six works (2 poems, 2 short stories, 2 essays) written by six different students. These school folders have traditionally been evaluated by judges at the University of Virginia's creative writing department. Judges award individual awards for the three categories in each group (A, AA and AAA) as well as an overall school folder winner in each group.
The VHSL also awards the Wachovia
Cup for each group to the schools which accumulate the most points across all competitions much like the NACDA Director's Cup
for college athletics. There are separate cups for athletic and academic activities.
Group AA
Group A
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations, the largest of which is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Homeschooled students also are not allowed to participate in VHSL sanctioned events. A 2008 proposal in the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
to allow homeschooled students to compete for their local high school failed to pass.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020402829_pf.html The VHSL was not originally an athletics sanctioning body and continues to sponsor championships in several academic activities.
History
The VHSL was established in 1913 by members of both the Jefferson Literary and Debating SocietyJefferson Literary and Debating Society
The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society is a debating and literary society at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest organization at The University and one of the oldest continuously existing debating societies in North America....
and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
Washington Literary Society and Debating Union
The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union is a literary and debating group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville...
at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
to originally serve as a debating league for the state's high schools. Over the course of the 1910s, it expanded to over 250 schools and added championships in oral reading, baseball, basketball and track and renamed itself the Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it adopted other sports and began standardizing officiating practices for high school sports. In 1969, it merged with the Virginia Interscholastic Association, which was a similar organization that had served black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
schools around the Commonwealth during segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
. Girls' sports were added around this time. Statewide football playoffs began in 1970.
Organization
The VHSL is headquartered in CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
and has 308 member schools and conducts championships in 27 different sports. Nearly 200,000 students participate in its activities annually. The VHSL is overseen by an Executive Committee elected from the principals and superintendents of the various Virginia school districts. Day to day affairs are handled by the Executive Director and Assistant Directors.
School Classification
The VHSL's member schools are organized into three groups based on enrollment: A, AA and AAA. Each of the three groups are split into four geographic regions, which are each split into three or four districts, which have four to eleven teams. The largest group of schools are in Group AAA, the next largest group in Group AA, and the smallest group in Group A. Regional boundaries are different for all three groups as average school sizes vary substantially in different parts of Virginia. Nearly all Group AAA schools are located in Northern VirginiaNorthern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
, and Greater Richmond
Richmond-Petersburg
The Greater Richmond Region is a region located in a central part of the state of Virginia in the United States. As of 2010, it had a population of 1,258,251, making it the 43rd largest MSA in the country...
. Group A schools are typically found in rural areas and the largest concentration is in Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or...
. Group AA schools are somewhat more widely distributed than the other two and found in rapidly growing areas like Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, in and around cities such as Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
, and Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, and in smaller cities and counties which have a single high school. Unlike many state associations, districts and regions are fixed and the same for every sport with very few exceptions.
Redistricting and regrouping occurs every two years. AAA schools are typically above 1,500 students, AA schools are typically from 700 to about 1,500 students, and A schools are below 700 students. Schools can however choose to play up a group if they wish. Several schools in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas elect to play in Group AAA instead of Group AA due to a reluctance to travel long distances. In Southwest Virginia, some schools elect to play up a class in Group AA due to traditionally being part of that group. Schools can be granted a special dispensation from the VHSL to play down in Group A or AA due to being far from the nearest schools in their class and being relatively close to the dividing line (so a school with 800 or 1,600 students might get this dispensation, while a school with 1,000 or 2,000 students would not.)
In football, each region is further split into two divisions based on school size, so statewide champions are determined in Divisions 1 through 6. Divisions 1 and 2 are for Group A with Division 2 being the larger one; 3 and 4, the AA schools; and 5 and 6, the AAA schools. Since the average sizes of schools vary by region, some schools in the lower division of one region have enrollments which would place them in the higher division of another region and vice-versa. Most districts contain members in both divisions of its group so a single district can have two state championships teams. The division format was adopted in 1986 for football.
In 2008, the division format was adopted for basketball in Group A, and in 2009 for basketball in Group AA. In many sports other than football, both the regional champion and regional runner-up advance to participate in the state tournament.
Championships
Offered for boys and girls: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Gymnastics, Indoor track, Ice Hockey, Outdoor track, Soccer, Swimming/diving, Tennis, Volleyball,Offered for boys: Baseball, Football, Wrestling(girls are eligible to wrestle also)
Offered for girls: Cheerleading, Field hockey, Softball
(Boys' and girls' sports will allow members of the opposite gender to participate in some circumstances.)
Academic activities: Creative Writing, Debate, Drama (one-act plays), Forensics (a variety of individual events), Magazines,
Newspapers, Scholastic Bowl (a variety of quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
), Yearbooks
Academic activities are coed and not considered varsity athletics by most schools. Academic activities are usually awarded different letters and merits from athletics.
The VHSL academic activities season begins in September with a series of journalism education workshops in four cities across the state that is sponsored by Jostens. The VHSL/Jostens Regional Workshops began in 2005 and target both students and advisers of newspaper, magazine and yearbook publications. The 2007 series will include stops in Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke and Dulles.
This event is followed up by what is referred to as the state journalism workshop, or the Championship Journalism Workshop in October, which is both an educational and recognition event. Held at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
since 1989, the CJW celebrates the results of the newspaper, magazine and yearbook evaluations that schools submit each June to the VHSL. The two-day workshop offers about 100 classes that are taught mostly by the state's top advisers, but also by college professors, industry professionals and recognized out-of-state advisers. Since 2005, the awards portion of this event has been held in the nearby historic Jefferson Hotel
Jefferson Hotel
The Jefferson Hotel is a luxury hotel in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of 27 American hotels with Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Hotel ratings...
grand ballroom. State champions in newspaper, magazine and yearbook publications are given an evaluation on their publication known as Trophy Class. Publications that receive five Trophy Class ratings in seven or fewer years are also awarded the Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence, named after renowned yearbook adviser Colonel Charles Savedge. The VHSL also annually awards the Student Journalist of the Year to a deserving senior, which comes with the Savedge scholarship.
The VHSL academic season continues with the Group A and AA One Act Theatre Festivals, traditionally held the first week of December in Charlottesville. Eight schools representing the top two in both district and regional competition, present plays that are 35 or fewer minutes in length. Preferably four, but no fewer than three judges usually consisting of both high school directors and professionals evaluate the performances and recognize both the champion and runner-up school. Also recognized are eight outstanding actors.
In February, the top eight schools that have advanced from regional competition in Groups A, AA and AAA go at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
for Scholastic Bowl competition. Two, four-person teams meet head-to-head in this double-elimination tournament, answering questions in mathematics, science/health, social studies, English and miscellany (including current events, fine arts, music, entertainment and sports). There are three rounds, two toss-up rounds where either team may answer, and one round of directed questioning toward individual schools. Toss-up rounds consist of 15 questions and directed rounds include 10 questions per team. The champion and runner-up are recognized in each grouping.
The state forensics tournament occurs on a single day in late March/early April and consists of ten individual events: duo interpretation, serious dramatic interpretation, humorous dramatic interpretation, storytelling, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation, foreign extemporaneous speaking, domestic extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking and original oratory. At this tournament, Group A, AA and AAA competition occur separately, but simultaneously. The top six students in each category and in each group are recognized with the top four earning points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized.
Debate is a two-day tournament in April that features four events: Student Congress, Lincoln-Douglas, Contemporary Policy and Classic Policy. This competition has taken place at Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
since 1999. Student Congress, added in 2004, is the newest VHSL debate event. The top four individuals (or two-person policy teams) earn points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized.
The VHSL academic activities season culminates with the judging of creative writing entries announced in mid-late May. In March, schools submit a folder containing six works (2 poems, 2 short stories, 2 essays) written by six different students. These school folders have traditionally been evaluated by judges at the University of Virginia's creative writing department. Judges award individual awards for the three categories in each group (A, AA and AAA) as well as an overall school folder winner in each group.
The VHSL also awards the Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
Cup for each group to the schools which accumulate the most points across all competitions much like the NACDA Director's Cup
NACDA Director's Cup
The NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics...
for college athletics. There are separate cups for athletic and academic activities.
List of Regions and Districts
Group AAA- Central RegionAAA Central RegionThe Central Region is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Capital District, the AAA Central District, the AAA Colonial District, and the AAA Dominion District...
- AAA Capital DistrictAAA Capital DistrictThe AAA Capital District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from the Greater Richmond Region, . AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Capital...
- AAA Central DistrictAAA Central DistrictThe AAA Central District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from the Greater Richmond Region, . AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Central...
- AAA Colonial DistrictAAA Colonial DistrictThe AAA Colonial District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools in the Greater Richmond Region. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Colonial...
- AAA Dominion DistrictAAA Dominion DistrictThe [AAA Dominion District] http://www.dominiondistrict.com is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from the Greater Richmond Region...
- AAA Capital District
- Eastern RegionAAA Eastern RegionThe Eastern Region is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Beach District, the AAA Eastern District, the AAA Peninsula District, and the AAA Southeastern District...
- AAA Beach DistrictAAA Beach DistrictThe AAA Beach District is one of the four districts of the AAA Eastern Region of the Virginia High School League. The schools in the Beach District compete with the schools in the AAA Eastern District, the AAA Peninsula District, and the AAA Southeastern District...
- AAA Eastern DistrictAAA Eastern DistrictThe AAA Eastern District is one of the four districts of the AAA Eastern Region of the Virginia High School League. The schools in the Eastern District compete with the schools in the AAA Beach District, the AAA Peninsula District, and the AAA Southeastern District...
- AAA Peninsula DistrictAAA Peninsula DistrictIn the USA, the Peninsula District is one of the four districts in the AAA Eastern Region of the Virginia High School League. It consists of the public high schools in the cities of Hampton and Newport News, plus Gloucester High School in Gloucester County....
- AAA Southeastern DistrictAAA Southeastern DistrictThe AAA Southeastern District is one of the four districts of the AAA Eastern Region of the Virginia High School League. The schools in the Southeastern District compete with the schools in the AAA Beach District, AAA Eastern District, and the AAA Peninsula District...
- AAA Beach District
- Northern RegionAAA Northern RegionThe AAA Northern Region is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Concorde District, the AAA Liberty District, the AAA National District, and the AAA Patriot District...
- AAA Concorde DistrictAAA Concorde DistrictThe AAA Concorde District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes public schools exclusively from Fairfax County. AAA is the largest enrollment class and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports....
- AAA Liberty DistrictAAA Liberty DistrictThe AAA Liberty District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Liberty District...
- AAA National DistrictAAA National DistrictThe AAA National District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from eastern Fairfax County and all of the public high schools in Arlington County....
- AAA Patriot DistrictAAA Patriot DistrictThe AAA Patriot District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from eastern Fairfax County and Alexandria City. AAA is the largest enrollment class and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports...
- AAA Concorde District
- Northwest Region
- AAA Cardinal DistrictAAA Cardinal DistrictThe AAA Cardinal District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools exclusively from Prince William County. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The...
- AAA Cedar Run DistrictAAA Cedar Run DistrictThe AAA Cedar Run District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools stretching from Manassas to Ashburn. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Cedar...
- AAA Commonwealth DistrictAAA Commonwealth DistrictThe AAA Commonwealth District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools stretching from Stafford to Charlottesville...
- AAA Western Valley DistrictAAA Western Valley DistrictThe AAA Western Valley District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools in Central & Southwest Virginia. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The...
- AAA Cardinal District
Group AA
- Region IAA Region IRegion I is one of the four AA regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Battlefield District, the AA Bay Rivers District, the A/AA Eastern Shore District, and the AA Southside District...
- AA Battlefield DistrictAA Battlefield DistrictThe AA Battlefield District is one of the three districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which consists of schools in Fredericksburg and surrounding area. Most of the schools in the district are in Spotsylvania County, which is one of fastest growing counties in Virginia...
- AA Bay Rivers DistrictAA Bay Rivers DistrictThe AA Bay Rivers District is one of the four districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which typically holds schools in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...
- AA Southside DistrictAA Southside DistrictThe AA Southside District is one of the four districts of AA Region I of the Virginia High School League which typically includes schools in the area known as Southside Virginia, located south of the Greater Richmond Region down to the Virginia-North Carolina border.The schools in the Southside...
- AA Battlefield District
- Region IIAA Region IIRegion II is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Dulles District, the AA Evergreen District, the AA Jefferson District and the AA Northwestern District....
- AA Dulles DistrictAA Dulles DistrictThe AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
- AA Jefferson DistrictAA Jefferson DistrictThe AA Jefferson District is a district in the Region II of the Virginia High School League. There are eight member schools. The District is named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, and as might be guessed, member schools are clustered around Charlottesville...
- AA Northwestern DistrictAA Northwestern DistrictThe AA Northwestern District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that currently includes Frederick County and Warren County. The Northwestern District member schools compete in Region II with the schools from the AA Dulles District, AA Jefferson District, and AA Evergreen...
- AA Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
- AA Dulles District
- Region IIIAA Region IIIRegion III is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the AA Blue Ridge District, the AA Seminole District, and the AA Valley District...
- AA Blue Ridge DistrictAA Blue Ridge DistrictThe AA Blue Ridge District is a district in the Region III of the Virginia High School League. The district is named for the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are nearby all of the schools. From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, the district steadily grew as four schools dropped in classification...
- AA Seminole DistrictAA Seminole DistrictThe AA Seminole District is a district in Region III of the Virginia High School League. The schools of the district are located in and around Lynchburg, Virginia. US 29, which passes through the area, is named the Seminole Trail through much of Virginia...
- AA Valley DistrictAA Valley DistrictThe AA Valley District was a district in Region II of the Virginia High School League. There were nine member schools. As the district's name implied, all the schools were located in the central part of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, along Interstate 81...
- AA Blue Ridge District
- Region IVAA Region IVAA Region IV is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the AA Piedmont District, the AA River Ridge District, and the AA Southwest District....
- AA Piedmont DistrictAA Piedmont DistrictThe AA Piedmont District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League that includes schools from Southwest and Southside Virginia mostly in the Martinsville and the Danville areas. The schools of the Piedmont District compete in AA Region IV with the schools in the AA River Ridge...
- AA River Ridge DistrictAA River Ridge DistrictThe AA River Ridge District is a district in Region IV of the Virginia High School League which was formed for the 2003-2004 school year out of the AA Blue Ridge District in Region III. In the 2002-2003 school year, the student body of Group AAA Cave Spring High School in Roanoke County was split...
- AA Southwest DistrictAA Southwest DistrictThe AA Southwest District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League that includes schools from southwestern Virginia, United States. The schools of the Southwest District compete in AA Region IV with the schools in the AA Piedmont District and the AA River Ridge District...
- AA Piedmont District
Group A
- Region AA Region AA Region A is one of the four regions in Group A of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the A/AA Eastern Shore District, the A Northern Neck District, the A Tidewater District and the A Tri-Rivers District...
- A Eastern Shore District
- A Northern Neck DistrictA Northern Neck DistrictThe A Northern Neck District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that comprises high schools in the Northern Neck of Virginia. The Northern Neck District schools compete in A Region A with the schools from the A/AA Eastern Shore District, the A Tidewater District, and the A...
- A Tidewater DistrictA Tidewater DistrictThe A Tidewater District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that comprises high schools located northwest of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...
- A Tri-Rivers DistrictA Tri-Rivers DistrictThe A Tri-Rivers District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that comprises high schools in Southeastern Virginia west of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area...
- Region BA Region BA Region B is one of the four regions in Group A of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the A Bull Run District, the A Dogwood District, the A James River District and the A Shenandoah District...
- A Bull Run District
- A Dogwood DistrictA Dogwood DistrictThe A Dogwood District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws most of its members from Lynchburg and Danville, Virginia areas. The schools in the Dogwood District compete in A Region B with the schools of the A Bull Run District, the A James River District and...
- A James River DistrictA James River DistrictThe A James River District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws most of its members from Southside Virginia...
- A Shenandoah DistrictA Shenandoah DistrictThe A Shenandoah District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the central part of the Shenandoah Valley, as the district name suggests...
- Region CA Region CRegion C is one of the four A regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the A Hogoheegee District, the A Mountain Empire District, the A Pioneer District, and the A Three Rivers District. The region stretches from the Alleghany Highlands to most of Southwest...
- A Hogoheegee DistrictA Hogoheegee DistrictThe A Hogoheegee District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from Southwest Virginia, many from the Bristol, Virginia area of the United States...
- A Mountain Empire DistrictA Mountain Empire DistrictThe A Mountain Empire District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from Southwest Virginia, west of the Roanoke metropolitan area....
- A Pioneer DistrictA Pioneer DistrictThe A Pioneer District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that comprises high schools located west of the southern Shenandoah Valley...
- A Three Rivers DistrictA Three Rivers DistrictThe A Three Rivers District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws most of its members from the New River Valley. The lone exception is Glenvar High School, which is located in western Roanoke County. The district is named for the New River, Roanoke River, and...
- A Hogoheegee District
- Region DA Region DRegion D is one of the four A regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the A Black Diamond District, the A Cumberland District, and the A Lonesome Pine District...
- A Black Diamond DistrictA Black Diamond DistrictThe A Black Diamond District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The schools in the Black Diamond District compete in A Region D with the schools of the A Cumberland District, and the A Lonesome Pine...
- A Cumberland DistrictA Cumberland DistrictThe A Cumberland District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia...
- A Lonesome Pine DistrictA Lonesome Pine DistrictThe A Lonesome Pine District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The district's name comes from The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The schools in the Lonesome Pine District compete in A Region D with the...
- A Clinch Mountain DistrictA Clinch Mountain DistrictThe A Clinch Mountain District is a member of the Virginia High School League, Group A, Region D. The league's mission is to establish and maintain "standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship." The secondary...
- A Black Diamond District