The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body of interscholastic athletics programs and events for public schools in Alabama.
AHSAA has been a member of the National Federation of Public Schools School Associations since 1924.
The AHSAA merged with the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association in 1968, forming one Alabama High School Athletic Association under a court order regarding athletics. The AIAA previously ran athletics in segregated African-American schools.
AHSAA sponsors state championship programs in 13 sports for boys and 13 for girls: baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, track and field, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Cheerleading and Indoor Track.
While the AHSAA is the primary organization sanctioning high school sports in Alabama (and the only one authorized for public schools), it is not the only such organization. The Alabama Association of Independent Schools sanctions sports in about 40 private schools across the state. Other smaller organizations, such as the Alabama Christian Athletic Conference and the Alabama Christian Athletic and Academic Association, authorize sports in smaller Christian schools and home schools, especially in eight-bed schools. football.