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Enrollment & Attendance Bylaw Resource Center

Understanding the OHSAA Enrollment and Attendance Bylaws

Section 3 of Bylaw 4, Enrollment and Attendance, contains seven bylaws governing student enrollment and attendance requirements for interscholastic athletics. Since its adoption in 1908, the enrollment requirement has served as a foundational principle of OHSAA eligibility. It helps:

  • Promote school identity and student engagement.
  • Ensure athletics remain an extension of the educational program.
  • Preserve amateurism by limiting participation to students connected to the school community.
  • Discourage "team shopping" and undue emphasis on athletics.
  • Encourage students to remain on track for graduation within the traditional eight-semester timeframe.

While full-time enrollment at the member school remains the general rule, OHSAA member schools have approved several exceptions to reflect changes in educational options and state law. In addition to long-standing exceptions for students attending separate ninth-grade centers and joint vocational schools, the bylaws now provide participation opportunities for students in several educational settings.

Ohio law also permits certain non-enrolled students to participate for the public school serving the parents' district of residence (or, in some circumstances, another eligible public school). These categories include:

  • Home-educated students
  • Students attending STEM schools that do not sponsor the sport
  • Students attending community schools that do not sponsor the sport
  • Students attending non-public schools that do not sponsor the sport
  • Students attending a public school that does not sponsor the sport

Additional guidance is available in the Guidelines for Non-Enrolled Students and the Frequently Asked Questions page.

For purposes of Section 3:

  1. A student must be officially enrolled to attend a school.
  2. A student may be enrolled in only one school at a time.
  3. Once enrolled and attending a new school, the student is considered withdrawn from the former school.

Additionally, any student who qualifies under an exception to Bylaw 4-3-1 must also satisfy the requirements of Bylaw 4-7, Transfer, before becoming eligible for interscholastic athletics.