The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) is a non-profit corporation and a voluntary membership organization. The members of PIAA consist of almost all of the public junior high/middle and senior high schools, some of the Charter and Private junior high/middle Schools, and many of the Charter and Private senior high Schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Generally stated, the function of PIAA is to develop and enforce rules regulating interscholastic athletic competition, which are authorized or adopted by the member schools.
PIAA was formed in Pittsburgh on December 29, 1913, by a group of high school Principals who wanted to eliminate abuses, establish uniform rules, and place interscholastic athletics in the overall context of secondary education. The purposes of PIAA, as set forth in ARTICLE II of its Constitution, are to:
- Organize, develop, and direct an interscholastic athletic program which will promote, protect, and conserve the health and physical welfare of all participants.
- Formulate and maintain policies that will safeguard the educational values of interscholastic athletics and cultivate the high ideals of good sportsmanship.
- Promote uniformity of standards in all interscholastic athletic competition.
District XII covers the City of Philadelphia and parts of the surrounding counties. The high school members schools consists of:
- The School District of Philadelphia's Public and Charter High Schools know as the Philadelphia Public League
- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic High Schools known as the Philadelphia Catholic League
- Each league brings a rich tradition of talent, sportsmanship and competition to the forefront
- Prior to 2003, P.I.A.A. consisted of eleven geographic districts in the state of Pennsylvania.
- District XII was formed by the P.I.A.A. when The School District of Philadelphia requested membership in 2003
- The Philadelphia Catholic League joined with District XII in 2008
- The high schools of each league in District XII are governed by the P.I.A.A. By-Laws and Constitution
- For more information on the governing body of the P.I.A.A. view their website.