Founded in 1905, the WIAA, according to its website, "exists to assist member schools in operating student programs that foster achievement, respect, equity, enthusiasm and excellence in a safe and organized environment." The goals of the organization include developing policies to insure the uniformity and fairness of interscholastic sports programs, establishing standards to promote the safety and welfare of all participants, promoting diversity, recognizing excellence and encouraging school districts to employ competent, caring and knowledgeable coaches.
The WIAA is a nonprofit organization. It receives no financial support from the state of Washington or from tax dollars. The organization is funded through the ticket sales from state tournaments, sponsorships, school membership fees and a percentage of merchandise sales. Major longtime sponsors for WIAA tournaments include the Dairy Farmers of Washington, Les Schwab Tire and ROOT Sports (formerly FOX Sports Northwest).
The WIAA is divided into nine geographical districts, four in western Washington and five in the eastern part of the state. Within the districts, schools are classified further by the size of their enrollment. Schools with under 93 total students are considered 1B, schools with under 208 students 2B, under 513 students 1A, under 1086 students 2A, under 1304 students 3A and schools with over 1304 students are considered 4A. The smallest 1B public high school in the state is Kahlotus High School in rural southeastern Washington. The largest 4A high schools in the state are Marysville-Pilchuck High School and South Kitsap High School, both located in growing bedroom communities outside Everett and Tacoma respectively.
The WIAA divides its sports into seasons. Fall season sports include football, cross country, girls' soccer, girls' swimming & diving, and volleyball. Basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, bowling and boys' swimming & diving are considered winter sports. Track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, boys' soccer and golf lie under the umbrella of spring sports. The WIAA is also involved in administering tournaments in cheerleading, dance & drill, forensics, drama and music.
The WIAA sponsors state championship tournaments and competitions for the sports it administers. Typically, playoff-bound teams go through a lengthy process to advance to "state," starting with league tournaments and progressing to district and then regional finals. Typically, state tournaments consist of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals for each sport. The football and basketball tournaments are among the best attended. The WIAA state football tournament is held in Tacoma. The 1 and 2B basketball tournaments are held in Spokane, the 1 and 2A in Yakima, and the 3 and 4A in Tacoma.
The WIAA also administers state tournaments for cheerleading and dance & drill in the winter and spring respectively. Forensics tournaments are held throughout the school year. The premier state tournament for music is the "Washington State Solo and Ensemble Music Festival," in recent years held at Central Washington University in Ellensburg and co-sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Association. Students qualify for this adjudicated state tournament by scoring first in their category at one of 22 regional competitions held throughout the state.
One of WIAA's goals is to recognize excellence. The WIAA sponsors a "Scholastic Awards Program" to acknowledge and reward teams or groups that maintain a high collective academic standard. The WIAA "Scholastic Cup" recognizes schools that finish at the top of their respective classifications in state athletic competitions and team academic performances. The WIAA also hosts a yearly Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to pay tribute to individuals that have made extraordinary contributions and have had superb accomplishments in high school sports and activities.