Virginia High School League
 |
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| Abbreviation | VHSL |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Serving youth since 1913" |
| Formation | 1913 |
| Type | Volunteer; NPO |
| Legal status | Association |
| Purpose | Athletic/Educational |
| Headquarters | 1642 State Farm Blvd. Charlottesville, VA 22911 |
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Region served
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Virginia |
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Membership
|
300+ public high schools |
|
Official language
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English |
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Executive Director
|
Ken Tilley |
| Affiliations | National Federation of State High School Associations |
|
Staff
|
15 |
| Website | vhsl.org |
| Remarks | (434) 977-8475 |
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor state championships in several academic activities.
Private and religious schools and teams of homeschooled students belong to other sanctioning organizations, the largest of which is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Proposals in the Virginia General Assembly to mandate that the VHSL allow homeschooled students to compete for the public high school they would otherwise attend have failed to pass.
The VHSL was established in 1913 by members of both the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union at the University of Virginia to serve as a debating league for the state's high schools. During 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 African American schools around the Commonwealth during segregation. Girls' sports were added around this time. Statewide football playoffs also began in 1970.
The VHSL is headquartered in Pantops Charlottesville 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.
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