Idaho wrestling weight classes

Which IHSAA weight classes are listed for 2026–27?

The IHSAA’s 2026–27 wrestling document prints a boys’ list and a girls’ list under the heading “Weight Classifications.” These are the nominal pounds before any allowance.

Boys are classified by school enrollment in 6A, 5A, 4A and 3A, and girls in Division I and Division II. A school classification is a separate part of the entry from the bodyweight class.

Why is the 98-pound boys’ class worth noticing?

Most state charts begin the boys’ list at 106. Idaho’s printed list adds 98 in front of it. A family that has copied a neighboring state’s chart, or a national table, will therefore miss the lightest boys’ category.

The document does not explain the reason for the extra class, and this page does not guess. The practical step is to use Idaho’s printed list for any Idaho school event, and to check an out-of-state tournament’s own list before entering there.

The national option tables are on the high-school reference page. Compare the NFHS options.

How does Idaho certify a wrestler’s minimum weight?

The IHSAA describes a certification program with three parts: healthy body weight set through body composition and hydration, a gradual weight-loss plan, and nutrition education for coach, wrestler and parent. The minimum weight is based on 7% body fat for males and 19% for females, consistent with the NFHS change that raised the female figure from 12% for 2026–27.

• Hydration must be passed immediately before body fat is measured, using a refractometer and urine test strips.
• The body-fat method is bioimpedance, administered by a certified weight assessor.
• Weight loss during the initial descent may not exceed 1.5 percent of body weight per week.
• The certification window opens October 19 and runs to the day before the first allowable competition date.

The document lists a $30 weight-certification fee per gender and a $3 per-wrestler assessor fee plus mileage. Fees and dates change by season, so confirm them in the current packet.

What allowances and limits come with the chart?

A two-pound growth allowance is added to each weight class on January 1, and a wrestler may not use it to make scratch weight. Once certified, a wrestler may only wrestle up to two weight classes above their certified minimum class. An individual may compete on a maximum of sixteen dates.

To be eligible for the district and state tournaments, a wrestler must weigh in at scratch weight and be available on three of the sixteen regular-season dates, with the coach verifying those weigh-ins before the district seeding meeting. Each school may enter two wrestlers per weight class at districts.

Scratch weight is explained separately. Read scratch weight.

How should Idaho hosts and families use the chart?

Hosts building an Idaho event should include the 98-pound boys’ class where the event follows IHSAA classifications, and should say plainly which list an open or youth event uses. A correct chart still does not authorize a particular athlete’s entry; the school’s certified record does.

Smart Wrestler hosts set weight classes when they create the event. For a school-based Idaho event, copy the list above, then check unexpected entries with the athlete’s coach rather than adding a second registration.