Frequently Asked Questions

A: No. Only high school students are allowed to practice together. Incoming ninth graders may participate with high school teams upon completing their eighth-grade year. 

Q: Can a student who is academically ineligible practice with the school team?

A: Each school or school district sets its own policy about what students are allowed to do when academically ineligible.

Q: Can a student miss practice or all or part of a schol day and still play in a game that night (or weekend)?

A: It is up to each school district to determine excused absences. If a student is too sick to go to school or practice, they should stay home from other events.  

Q: Where can I find a school's phone number or a list of coaches?

A: A list of schools in the CIF Central Section can be found on this website under School Resources, then AD & Coaches Corner and Directory.   

Q: When do the playoffs start and who is playing? 

A: There is a sports calendar on our website (under School Resources, then Important Dates) with dates of all our championship events. As soon as they are available, all the brackets are posted under their respective sports and updated frequently.

Q: When is the start of the sports season for the fall, winter and spring? 

A: There is a sports calendar on our website with dates of all our championship events.  

Q: Why doesn't the CIF discipline coaches?

A: Coaches are hired by school districts, not the CIF. The CIF provides guidelines for coaches, education resources and various other traning programs. But the schools are the ultimate authority when it comes to hiring, firing, and disciplining coaches. If you have a problem with your coach, contact your athletic director with your concerns.  

Q: If a high school student who lives with a parent in Town A moves in with another parent in Town B, will they automatically be eligible to play at a new school?

A: They are not automatically eligible. Any time a student transfers schools, for any reason, there is transfer paperwork that needs to be submitted explaining the details of the move and reason for transferring.   

Q: What if a student graduates from the eighth grade in December? Can then enroll in high school and be eligible to participate in athletics?

A: While this situation is rare, it is possible for an incoming freshman to play sports at the high school they are enrolled at right away. However, every student's eligibility clock starts the day they enroll and ends after eight semesters. In this situation, a student who starts mid-year and attends high school for four years may be ineligible to play sports their final semester. Every student has eight consecutive semesters of athletic eligibility. The semesters cannot be split up.

Q: If a student graduates at mid-term of his or her senior year, can they still participate in the last semester of their senior year?

A: No. Students must continue to be enrolled full time in order to play high school sports. 

Q: What if a student repeats a grade while in high school? 

A: Students have eight consecutive semesters of eligibility starting when they enter the ninth grade. If a student repeats a year of high school, they would be ineligible to play sports in their senior year. 

Q: What are the CIF established grading periods for eligibility?

A: The CIF does not set grading periods. Those dates are determined by the school or school district, but in every case the period of potential eligibility is exactly equal to the period of ineligibility.

Q: What if the grading period is over, but the grades have not been released yet? 

A: Keep in mind the basic rule that the period for potential eligibility must be exactly equal to the period of ineligibility. An ineligible student who has just regained their eligibility and an eligible student who has just become ineligible can never be eligible on the same day. If grades are released two weeks after the grading period ends, it is at that point - when the grades are released - that the student becomes eligible.