Iowa High School Speech Association

The league of the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) divides the state of Iowa up into four districts and is composed of only the high schools of the state. The IHSSA offers three categories of competition: individual events, debate, and large group. At the end of the season, an all-state tournament is offered, and to get there competitors must elevate from district and state competitions. Judging is unique in that at district tournaments, for speech, only one judge must give either a team or an individual an “I” to move forward. At State there are three judges who not only must give an “I” but also a recommendation (2/3 of the judges anyway). Note, each district has a district and State tournament, so aside from the one all-state there are four of everything else. The IHSSA proudly has 487 member schools with around 40, 000 student involved.