Division classifications in the state are based on enrollment, which for public schools is directly related to geographic boundaries. From that area a certain number of students 'must' go to that school, with some exceptions. A (public) school's possible athletic participants are therefore easy to calculate and schools can easily be grouped together for competition because they are all subject to the same formula - total enrollment from which one can reasonably derive expected athletic participation.
Then we have non-public schools whose enrollment is not tied to geographic boundaries and which students attend for different reasons.
Public school athletics draw from a pool of students who must attend (with some exceptions) that school. Private schools may have a pool of students that may contain proportionally many more athletes since some attend just for a particular sport. This means that non-public schools are operating with an inherently different enrollment formula for athletics.
A 1,200 student public school, with set boundaries, can expect to have a certain number of wrestlers, let's put that number at 50. A 500 student public school can reasonably expect to have a certain number of students interested in wrestling, let's put that number at 25. This is the calculus that DIAA uses to calculate division placements, a simple formula that assumes, mistakenly, that expected participation for private schools is directly related to enrollment. I say mistakenly since a 500 student private school that is able to actively recruit wrestlers, unbound by geographic limitations, will have a significantly larger number of students interested in wrestling.
Private schools to D1.
P.S. School choice breaks the formula too.
Then we have non-public schools whose enrollment is not tied to geographic boundaries and which students attend for different reasons.
Public school athletics draw from a pool of students who must attend (with some exceptions) that school. Private schools may have a pool of students that may contain proportionally many more athletes since some attend just for a particular sport. This means that non-public schools are operating with an inherently different enrollment formula for athletics.
A 1,200 student public school, with set boundaries, can expect to have a certain number of wrestlers, let's put that number at 50. A 500 student public school can reasonably expect to have a certain number of students interested in wrestling, let's put that number at 25. This is the calculus that DIAA uses to calculate division placements, a simple formula that assumes, mistakenly, that expected participation for private schools is directly related to enrollment. I say mistakenly since a 500 student private school that is able to actively recruit wrestlers, unbound by geographic limitations, will have a significantly larger number of students interested in wrestling.
Private schools to D1.
P.S. School choice breaks the formula too.