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Eligibility Requirements

Students interested in participating in middle and high school athletics, as well as their parents, should familiarize themselves with these eligibility requirements.

  • A student must be a resident of the school administrative unit in which he or she is assigned.
  • Students must be promoted to the next grade and meet previous semester guidelines to be eligible for fall/winter seasons. Promotion is defined by the N.C. Board of Education as "progressing to the next grade."
  • A student must be an amateur in order to be eligible to participate.
  • A student must not be guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • If a student is suspended from school, that player will be removed from that team, for that season.
  • The student must receive a medical examination each year (395 days) by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, subject to provisions of G.S. 90-9, 90-18.1, and 90-18.2.

Middle School

  • A student shall not participate on a 7th or 8th grade team if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31st of said school year.
  • A student, upon first entering grade 7, is academically eligible for competition on the 7th and 8th grade middle school interscholastic athletic team during his/her first semester. Students must meet all academic and attendance requirements during the fall semester to be eligible for athletic participation the spring semester.
  • A middle school student who is overage for middle school play shall be eligible for high school participation as long as he/she meets eligibility requirements.
  • Middle school students must pass all courses to maintain eligibility.
  • A student must pass Language Arts and Math, plus two other subjects, one of which must be Science or Social Studies. One unit of electives is equal to two semesters.

High School

  • A student, upon first entering grade nine (9), is academically eligible for competition on high school teams. All requirements must be met the first semester (fall) in order for this student to be eligible for athletic participation the second semester (spring).

 

North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Requirements

  1. Residency Requirements
    1. For purposes of this Policy, a student’s primary residence shall be determined as follows:
      1. If the student lives with both parents, the residence of both parents.
      2. If the student lives with a single parent, the residence of that parent.
      3. If the student’s parents are separated or divorced, the residence of the parent to whom a court of competent jurisdiction has awarded primary custody of the student. If no custody order has been entered, the student’s primary residence shall be deemed to be that at which the student is residing more than half-time at the beginning of the school year.
      4. If a student lives with an individual to whom a court of competent jurisdiction has awarded legal guardianship of the student, the residence of that individual.
      5. If a student has been emancipated in accordance with Chapter 7B, Article 35 of the General Statutes, the student’s residence at the time of emancipation.
      6. If a student is a foreign national participating in a foreign exchange program authorized by federal and state law, the residence to which the student is assigned by the program or host PSU.
         
    2. A student shall not participate in interscholastic athletics following a change in primary residence unless it is made for a bona fide purpose and with the intent that it be permanent.
       
    3. An administering organization shall resolve, by a preponderance of the evidence, any disputes regarding a high school student’s primary residence or whether a change in a student’s primary residence was for a bona fide purpose.
       
  2. Enrollment Requirements
    1. A student who attends a school supervised by a local board of education shall only participate in interscholastic athletics on behalf of the school to which the student is assigned under G.S. 115C-366.
    2. A student enrolled in a charter, regional statewide public school, or school operated by the University of North Carolina shall meet all the enrollment criteria for that school and attend that school. A student who attends a school described in this Subparagraph shall not participate in interscholastic athletics on behalf of that school unless the student’s primary residence is within either:
      1. the county in which the school is located, or
      2. twenty-five (25) miles of the school as determined by an administering organization.
    3. A local board of education may by policy allow a person who is enrolled in Grade 6 through 12 in a home school, as defined in G.S. 115C-563(a), and whose primary residence is within the local board’s jurisdiction to participate in interscholastic athletics on behalf of a participating school under the board’s jurisdiction, provided that the board either agrees to cover any such person whom it allows to participate under its catastrophic athletic accident insurance policy or verifies that the person is independently covered by catastrophic accident insurance.
       
  3. Transfer Requirements for High School Interscholastic Athletics
    1. After a student’s initial entry into Grade 9, and absent a change in residence for a bona fide purpose as provided in Paragraph (d) of this Policy:
      1. a student who transfers from one school to another school within the same PSU shall not participate in interscholastic athletics for 365 calendar days following the student’s enrollment in the new school, unless the governing authority of the PSU has adopted a policy allowing immediate eligibility for students who are assigned by the PSU to a different school within the same PSU.
      2. a student who transfers from a school in one PSU to a school in a different PSU shall not participate in interscholastic athletics for 365 calendar days following the student’s enrollment in the new school, except by mutual agreement of the governing authorities of each PSU.
    2. After a student’s initial entry into Grade 9, if a student transfers to a new school within 365 calendar days of the hiring by that school of a coach for an interscholastic athletics team who was previously employed as a coach for an equivalent sport by the school from which the student is transferring, the student shall be ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for that sport. An administering organization may waive this restriction if it determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the student’s transfer was for a bona fide purpose.
    3. For purposes of this Paragraph, if a student transfers from a public school to a nonpublic school, including a home school as defined in G.S. 115C-563(a), and within 365 calendar days transfers to a different public school, the transfer from the nonpublic school shall be treated as a transfer from a public school.
    4. A student who transfers to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is exempt from the requirements of this Paragraph upon initial entry into that school.
    5. No student shall participate in more than one season of interscholastic athletics per year in the same sport, regardless of the school on behalf of which the student participated.
       
  4. Age Requirements
    1. Each PSU shall determine the age of a student participating in interscholastic athletics based on a preponderance of the evidence known to the PSU.
    2. A student who is ineligible to participate at one grade level due to age shall be eligible to participate at the next higher grade level only, provided that a student:
      1. Shall be eligible to participate at the middle school level for no more than six consecutive semesters, beginning with the student’s initial entry into Grade 6.
      2. Shall be eligible to participate at the high school level for no more than eight consecutive semesters, beginning with the student’s initial entry into Grade 9.
      3. A student shall not participate on a middle school team if the student becomes 15 years of age before August 31 of that school year.
      4. A student shall not participate on a junior high school team if the student becomes 16 years of age on or before August 31 of that school year.
      5. A student shall not participate on a high school team if the student becomes 19 years of age on or before August 31 of that school year.
    3. A student in Grade 6 shall not participate in tackle football.
       
  5. Scholastic Requirements
    1. To be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics, a student must be in good academic standing. For purposes of this Policy, a student shall be deemed to be in good academic standing under the following circumstances:
      1. The student attended at least 85 percent of the total number of instructional days in the PSU during the previous semester;
      2. The student passed at least seventy (70) percent of the courses taken in the preceding semester; and
      3. The student making sufficient progress toward meeting the academic and curricular requirements of the PSU and the State Board of Education to be promoted to the next grade level or to graduate within the next calendar year.
    2. For the purpose of determining good academic standing during the fall semester, a student may count courses that the student passed in a summer school session in which the student was enrolled during the same calendar year toward the total number of courses passed in the preceding spring semester, provided that summer school courses shall not affect the total number of courses attempted in the preceding spring semester.
    3. A student who is promoted from Grade 5 to Grade 6 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements set forth in this Paragraph to participate in the first semester of Grade 6.
    4. A student who is promoted from Grade 8 to Grade 9 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements set forth in this Paragraph to participate in the first semester of Grade 9.
    5. For interscholastic athletic activities occurring between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, any student who has satisfied the requirements of 16 NCAC 06E .0204(d), as it was written on June 30, 2024, shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this Paragraph.
       
  6. Biological Requirements. All students participating in interscholastic athletics shall comply with the biological participation requirements as provided in G.S. 115C-407.59.
     
  7. Medical Requirements. To be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics, a student shall receive a medical examination every 395 days by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, subject to the provisions of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
     
  8. Felony Requirement. A student shall not participate in interscholastic athletics after pleading guilty or “no contest” to, or being convicted of, a felony under the laws of North Carolina, the United States, or any other state. Prior to deeming the student ineligible, an administering organization shall receive a certified copy of a criminal record reflecting the conviction and verify that the student is the same individual identified in the criminal record.
     
  9. An administering organization shall, in an individual student’s case, waive any eligibility requirement contained in this Policy if it finds that enforcing the requirement:
    1. fails to promote academic progress, health, safety, and fair play;
    2. works an undue hardship on a student who has lost eligibility due to circumstances that made participation impossible, such as prolonged illness or injury; or
    3. prevents the reasonable accommodation of a student’s disability, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.