Best High School League — 47 verified

High school esports leagues run sanctioned interscholastic competition — many state athletic associations now recognize esports as an official sport.

• PlayVS — California. Founded 2017, PlayVS is North America's largest scholastic esports platform and the official esports partner of the NFHS Network. Powers officially sanctioned high school leagues in 40+ state and regi
• NASEF (Network of Academic & Scholastic Esports Federations) — California. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded as the North America Scholastic Esports Federation, with core ties to UC Irvine's Connected Learning Lab. Provides free middle and high school esports clubs and curriculum
• Generation Esports — Missouri. Kansas City-based scholastic esports operator behind the High School Esports League and Middle School Esports League. Now part of PlayVS, focused on connecting underserved students to the gaming indus
• US Academic Esports League — Florida. K-12 esports curriculum and competition platform. USAEL's Open makes competitive esports accessible to every 3rd-12th grader and the company powers programs for LAUSD, NYC DOE, the US DoD and the LCS
• Garden State Esports — New Jersey. Educator-founded nonprofit serving as the organizing body of scholastic esports for New Jersey, with 300+ schools and 12,000+ students. Includes Valkyrie League (women in STEM) and Unified League for
• Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation — New York. Educator-led 501(c)(3) supporting scholastic esports across New York State, grown from 8 to 65+ schools in two years. Partners with PlayVS to deliver sanctioned competition from Long Island to Lake Er
• Massachusetts School Administrators' Association Esports — Massachusetts. The MSAA, in partnership with PlayVS, runs the official Massachusetts high school esports program, crowning state champions in Mario Kart, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Based in Frankl
• Texas Scholastic Esports Federation — Texas. Educator-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Texas schools. TexSEF promotes teamwork, leadership and career-ready skills via accessible scholastic esports across Texas school districts. Based in Dallas, T
• Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association — Pennsylvania. PIEA is the official governing body of Pennsylvania high school and middle school esports, with 175+ member schools. Established 2019 as one of the first US high-school governing bodies dedicated sole
• Wisconsin High School Esports Association — Wisconsin. Formed 2017, WIHSEA governs and grows Wisconsin high school esports through community development, advocacy and interscholastic competition. NASEF state affiliate offering free tournaments and curricu
• Minnesota Varsity League — Minnesota. Minnesota's home for scholastic esports, serving 100+ schools and 2,000+ members. Powered by Fenworks, with State Finals each March at St. Cloud State University. Based in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. High
• Michigan High School Esports Federation — Michigan. Volunteer-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded August 2019, MiHSEF is Michigan's foremost K-12 scholastic esports league with seasonal play in Rainbow 6, FIFA, Marvel Rivals, Pokemon Unite and more. Based
• Illinois High School Esports Association — Illinois. Nonprofit founded by Illinois teachers, IHSEA is the longest-running esports organization in Illinois and the Midwest. Currently supports Overwatch 2, Fortnite, VALORANT and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Based
• Indiana Esports Network — Indiana. Educator-led nonprofit composed of public, private and parochial Indiana schools. IEN organizes competitions for ~15 games across 3 enrollment divisions plus middle school and Unified divisions with S
• Iowa High School Esports Association — Iowa. Statewide governing body for Iowa high school esports competition, running ladder play and seasonal tournaments via the LeagueOS platform. Based in Des Moines, Iowa. High school esports leagues run sa
• NYC EZ Esports — New York. Nonprofit founded 2021 by NYC high school student club officers to provide the first-ever organized competitive esports league for New York City public high schools. Based in New York, New York. High
• NC Varsity Esports and STEM League (VESL) — North Carolina. North Carolina's first varsity esports and STEM league, run by Charlotte-based Stiegler EdTech in partnership with UNC-Greensboro. Enrolls 3,000+ students across 40+ counties combining gaming and STEM
• UNCG Scholastic Esports Alliance — North Carolina. The nation's first university-led, curriculum-focused statewide high school esports league, run by UNC Greensboro with a STEM-focused Career Technical Education pathway aligned to UNCG academic offeri
• Virginia High School League Esports — Virginia. The VHSL piloted esports in 2019-20 and held its first fully sanctioned state championships at Shenandoah University in December 2025, featuring League of Legends and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Based
• Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Esports — Maryland. MPSSAA is Maryland's official governing body for public high school athletics with 198 member schools and 112,000+ student-athletes; offers esports competition streamed via NFHS Network and PlayVS. Ba
• Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Esports — Connecticut. CIAC was the first official state-sanctioned high school esports league in the United States, run on the PlayVS platform with esports state championship titles awarded across multiple titles. Based in
• Maine Principals' Association Esports — Maine. The MPA added esports to its interscholastic menu in 2020. By spring 2021, 30+ Maine high schools and 200+ students competed across Rocket League, League of Legends, Madden, FIFA and Super Smash Bros.
• New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Esports — New Hampshire. NHIAA officially sanctioned esports as a varsity sport, with championship tournaments hosted at Southern New Hampshire University's Esports Arena. Based in Concord, New Hampshire. High school esports
• Vermont Principals' Association Esports — Vermont. Founded 1915, the VPA partnered with PlayVS in June 2023 to bring sanctioned high school esports to all 82 public high schools across Vermont. Based in Montpelier, Vermont. High school esports leagues
• Hawaii High School Athletic Association Esports — Hawaii. HHSAA officially sanctions high school esports across Hawaii via PlayVS, with state championships in League of Legends, Rocket League and SMITE-era titles. One of 17 NFHS member associations offering
• Alaska School Activities Association Esports — Alaska. ASAA sanctions esports as one of its 36 official activities. Offers Fall and Spring Championships in Rocket League and other PlayVS-supported titles, with playoffs running through December and April.
• Colorado High School Activities Association Esports — Colorado. CHSAA is the official governing body for Colorado high school activities; esports is a sanctioned sport with 115+ teams competing for state championships in League of Legends and Rocket League, hosted
• Arizona Interscholastic Association Esports — Arizona. The AIA partners with Playfly Sports for AZEPreps, Arizona's official high school esports community. State championships in League of Legends, Rocket League and SSBU are hosted at Arizona State Univer
• Utah High School Activities Association Esports — Utah. UHSAA Board of Trustees unanimously approved esports as an official sanctioned activity beginning the 2025-26 school year. Reaches 160 member schools across SSBU, Rocket League and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Esports — Nevada. NIAA, the private nonprofit governing Nevada secondary school athletics, sanctions esports as one of its high school activities for 123 member schools across five classifications. Based in Reno, Nevad
• Oregon School Activities Association Esports — Oregon. OSAA's preferred esports provider is Playfly Esports, delivering scholastic competition, curriculum and coaches' resources across 296 member high schools in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, League of Legen
• Kentucky High School Athletic Association Esports — Kentucky. The KHSAA, founded 1917, sanctions esports as a state championship activity with Fall and Spring seasons via the PlayVS platform. Spring 2026 championships were held in Lexington. Based in Lexington,
• South Carolina High School League Esports — South Carolina. SCHSL governs interscholastic athletics for 220 high schools and 200 junior high schools across South Carolina, with high school esports streamed via the NFHS Network and PlayVS partnership. Based in
• Georgia High School Association Esports — Georgia. GHSA is one of only five state high school associations to formally recognize esports as an official sport. Teams compete in League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart, with state finals at t
• Alabama High School Athletic Association Esports — Alabama. The AHSAA sponsors esports as part of its 13/14 sport state championship program. Played via PlayVS in League of Legends, SMITE and Rocket League across two seasons (Oct-Jan, Feb-May) with 30+ schools
• Mississippi High School Activities Association Esports — Mississippi. MHSAA, headquartered in Clinton, MS, made esports a state-championship activity in 2022. Current titles include Marvel Rivals, Rocket League, NBA 2K, Madden and Mario Kart; spring championships are he
• Louisiana High School Athletic Association Esports — Louisiana. LHSAA services 400 member schools and 93,000+ student-athletes in Louisiana; offers esports through the NFHS Network and PlayVS partnership although esports remains unsanctioned at the state level. Ba
• Arkansas Activities Association Esports — Arkansas. The Arkansas Activities Association sanctions esports through PlayVS, with championship matches held live at the AAA state championship event. Titles include LoL, Rocket League, SSBU, Madden, NBA 2K a
• Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Esports — Oklahoma. OSSAA, dating back to 1911 with 484 member schools, unanimously approved esports as a championship activity via a three-year PlayVS contract. First state championships held at UCO's CO-OP Esports & Ga
• Kansas State High School Activities Association Esports — Kansas. KSHSAA formally approved esports as an official sport beginning the 2025-26 school year via PlayVS, with 80+ schools showing interest. First-ever state championship held at the Olathe Public Schools I
• California Interscholastic Federation Esports — California. CIF, California's official high school activities federation, selected NASEF as its Official Esports Provider. CIF Esports state championships are held in League of Legends, Rocket League, SSBU and Ma
• Northern California Esports League — California. NCEL is orchestrated under the Butte County Office of Education and is NASEF's first program affiliate. Serves Northern California high schools and middle schools with curriculum-aligned competition.
• Central California Esports League — California. Central California Esports League serves Fresno County Office of Education area schools with scholastic competition, curriculum and STEM-aligned esports programming. Based in Fresno, California. High
• Playfly Esports Scholastic — Pennsylvania. The scholastic arm of Playfly Sports providing competition platforms, curriculum and coaches' resources to state high school associations including OSAA, WIAA and AIA. Based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. H
• Fenworks — North Dakota. Scholastic esports operations platform powering state-affiliated leagues including the Minnesota Varsity League and Michigan High School Esports Federation, with regional state championship hosting. B
• NFHS Network Esports — Indiana. The National Federation of State High School Associations Network broadcasts high school esports state championships from 17+ state associations including TSSAA, NIAA, MPSSAA, CIAC, KHSAA and many mor
• NFHS Esports Powered by PlayVS — Indiana. The official sanctioning relationship between the National Federation of State High School Associations and PlayVS, providing standardized rules and a competition platform for state HS esports leagues

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