Three Division NDHSAA Volleyball Will Begin in Fall 2025

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NDHSAA/KVRR) – The North Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors met on September 26 in Valley City and finalized a three division volleyball system that will go into effect starting in the fall of 2025. Previously, volleyball was split between Class A and Class B. Now, it will be Division AA, Division A and Division B.

NDHSAA announced that the following enrollments ranges will be utilized for classifications:

1. Division AA – Enrollment of 650+
2. Division A – Enrollment of 162.5 – 649 students
3. Division B – Enrollment below 162.5 students
4. Public and non-public schools located within a Division AA school district with 100-399 students shall be placed in Division A.  Public and non-public schools located within a Division AA school district with 400 or more students shall be placed in Division AA.
5. Teams may choose to participate in a division higher than their enrollment places them for a minimum of two seasons.
6. Following the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, teams will move divisions after their enrollment has been in a different division range for two consecutive years.  
7. A Classification committee will be established in the Fall of 2024 to review any petitions from teams to move to a division lower than their enrollment places them, as well as success factor criteria, beginning with the 2025-26 season.  The following deadlines will be used:

1. October 1, 2024 – Deadline for teams to request being moved down a division
2. October 15, 2024 – Classification committee considers all petitions for teams who request to move down a division for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons
3. November 23, 2024 – Tournament Performance Factor applied
4. November 23, 2024 – Deadline for teams moved up based on performance factor to appeal the classification committee
5. November 26, 2024 – Classification committee considers all appeals for teams moved up based on performance factor (virtually)
6. December 3, 2024 – Deadline for teams to request being moved up a division for 2025-26 and 2026-27 volleyball seasons
7. December 5, 2024 – 2025-26 and 2026-27 volleyball division placement finalized

There will also be tournament Performance Factor considered:

A tournament performance factor will be calculated after each season.

1. The tournament performance factor will be a three-year cumulative total of no less than six points per division, with accumulated points beginning with the 2022 season.
2. Teams that have accumulated at least six tournament performance factor points will be promoted to the next highest division from the previous year.  No team will be moved more than one division per year.  Teams may appeal this move to the classification committee.
3. Teams promoted to the next highest division due to accumulation of tournament performance points will remain in that division indefinitely unless an appeal is granted by the classification committee.
4. When a new coop forms, the coop will receive a point total equal to the combined total of all schools in the coop.
5. Calculating the tournament performance factor:

1. Points will be cumulative for a three-year period. (The inaugural point total will be calculated beginning with the 2022-23 school year)
2. The maximum points a team can earn in a season is four (4).
3. Points will be awarded based on the following system:

1. 1 point for advancing to the state quarterfinal
2. 2 points for advancing to the state semifinal
3. 3 points for advancing to the state championship
4. 4 points for winning a state title

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To view the new divisions and read more, visit the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_WiczyajFyrazznRAog_Lmpm-47ia0mjLym-QBz3NmM/pub