The 2026 high school football playoff division assignments have been released by the WIAA.
As a reminder, enrollment numbers determine divisional placement in the WIAA postseason, but unlike any other sport, not every team qualifies for the playoffs. Instead, 224 teams qualify for the postseason in 11-player football.
The 2026 season will mark the second year of the Wisconsin Football Playoff Matrix to determine points for each win a team achieves, and also has pre-determined divisional placement.
All teams that provide an 11-player schedule are split equally into seven divisions.
We also have provided a list of the divisional cutlines going back to 2008 to show where those lines have been in the past and how they've changed in recent years, and may be impacted by this new playoff procedure.
Competitive Balance and Tournament Performance Factor still apply. As a reminder, for any division that has a team or teams elevated, a corresponding number of teams from the higher division will be moved down in order to balance out the number of teams in each division. Teams that have accumulated any TPF points in the previous three years cannot be moved down due to another team's elevation; in such an event, the next lowest enrollment team in that division without TPF points in the previous three years will be moved down instead.
The following teams met the threshold for elevation from their originally assigned divisions or the division they accumulated points in:
Aquinas*
Badger*
Baldwin-Woodville
Bay Port^
Catholic Memorial*
Darlington
Edgar*
Grafton
Grantsburg*
Kenosha St. Joseph
Muskego^
Northwestern
Notre Dame*
Potosi/Cassville
Rice Lake*
Stratford**
Waunakee^
West De Pere
Winneconne
Wrightstown*
* - Indicates teams was promoted in 2025 and will remain in higher division in 2026
** - Indicates team was already promoted in 2025 & will be promoted another division in 2026
^ - Indicates team is in Division 1 and cannot be further promoted
A few additional notes:
Team enrollments for co-ops include the enrollment totals for all schools involved in the co-op.
Enrollments for the Illinois schools that are part of co-ops in the Wisconsin playoffs are included for all applicable teams.
If the total number of teams is not equally divisible by seven divisions, any remaining teams will be added to the largest divisions first (the largest divisions will have more teams than the smallest divisions). This year, there are two remainders, so Division 1 and 2 will have 53 teams while the other divisions will have 52.
If two or more schools have the same enrollment, the previous year's enrollment will be used as the tiebreaker for the sake of determining divisions.
8-Player Impacts
In 8-player football, games against teams with a three-year enrollment average above 200 students (the cutline to be eligible for the playoffs) are worth 3.33 points, while games against teams under 200 (those eligible for the playoffs) are worth 3 points. The full assignments for those 8-player values are below as well.
2026 ENROLLMENTS & DIVISIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
Points for each team, which are given to any team that defeats them, are assigned as follows:
D1: 6.5 points
D2: 6 points
D3: 5.5 points
D4: 5 points
D5: 4.5 points
D6: 4 points
D7: 3.5 points
TeamName | Division | Enroll | Division Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
Marquette | 1 | 3760 | |
Milwaukee Pulaski/Carmen South/Carmen Southeast | 1 | 2652 | |
Middleton | 1 | 2454 | |
Madison West | 1 | 2302 | |
Green Bay Preble | 1 | 2216 | |
Milwaukee Riverside/Golda Meir | 1 | 2159 | |
Stevens Point Area Senior High | 1 | 2142 | |
Oak Creek | 1 | 2118 | |
Kenosha Indian Trail | 1 | 2035 | |
Madison Memorial | 1 | 2027 | |
Neenah | 1 | 2022 | |
Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Milwaukee Arts | 1 | 1932 | |
Bay Port | 1 | 1897 | Enrollment already D1 |
Fond du Lac | 1 | 1880 | |
Verona | 1 | 1876 | |
Arrowhead | 1 | 1862 | |
Appleton North | 1 | 1854 | |
Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon Technology | 1 | 1796 | |
Madison East | 1 | 1763 | |
Racine Case | 1 | 1760 | |
D.C. Everest | 1 | 1739 | |
Kenosha Bradford | 1 | 1710 | |
Hudson | 1 | 1690 | |
Sheboygan North | 1 | 1651 | |
Eau Claire North | 1 | 1629 | |
Muskego | 1 | 1621 | Enrollment already D1 |
Madison La Follette | 1 | 1607 | |
Kenosha Tremper | 1 | 1598 | |
Eau Claire Memorial | 1 | 1584 | |
Oshkosh West | 1 | 1582 | |
Oconomowoc | 1 | 1573 | |
Kimberly | 1 | 1571 | |
Franklin | 1 | 1547 | |
Mukwonago | 1 | 1536 | |
Janesville Craig | 1 | 1521 | |
Wausau West | 1 | 1519 | |
Hamilton | 1 | 1513 | |
Appleton East | 1 | 1501 | |
Janesville Parker | 1 | 1456 | |
Sun Prairie West | 1 | 1439 | |
De Pere | 1 | 1437 | |
Shorewood/Dominican/Messmer | 1 | 1436 | |
Chippewa Falls | 1 | 1408 | |
Appleton West | 1 | 1405 | |
Brookfield East | 1 | 1393 | |
Sun Prairie East | 1 | 1392 | |
Hortonville | 1 | 1385 | |
Waunakee | 1 | 1373 | Enrollment already D1 |
Milwaukee Reagan | 1 | 1370 | |
Manitowoc Lincoln | 1 | 1363 | |
Badger | 1 | 1217 | Move to D1 due to performance factor points |
West De Pere | 1 | 1070 | Move to D1 due to performance factor points |
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln | 2 | 1348 | Moved down due to performance factor D2 (West De Pere) |
Oregon | 2 | 1339 | Moved down due to performance factor D2 (Badger) |
Westosha Central | 2 | 1336 | |
Milwaukee Marshall/Carmen Northwest/Milwaukee Juneau | 2 | 1331 | |
Hartford Union | 2 | 1295 | |
Kettle Moraine | 2 | 1285 | |
Germantown | 2 | 1275 | |
Milwaukee King | 2 | 1254 | |
Beloit Memorial | 2 | 1248 | |
Superior | 2 | 1243 | |
Oshkosh North | 2 | 1235 | |
Menomonee Falls | 2 | 1218 | |
West Allis Hale | 2 | 1214 | |
Kaukauna | 2 | 1206 | |
Sheboygan South | 2 | 1204 | |
Monona Grove | 2 | 1200 | |
DeForest | 2 | 1197 | |
Holmen | 2 | 1195 | |
Milwaukee South | 2 | 1183 | |
Elkhorn Area | 2 | 1182 | |
Marshfield | 2 | 1180 | |
Racine Park | 2 | 1174 | |
Racine Horlick | 2 | 1171 | |
Brookfield Central | 2 | 1164 | |
Homestead | 2 | 1161 | |
Waukesha West | 2 | 1158 | |
Watertown | 2 | 1132 | |
Green Bay East | 2 | 1124 | |
Greenfield | 2 | 1122 | |
River Falls | 2 | 1116 | |
Pulaski | 2 | 1099 | |
Waukesha South | 2 | 1073 | |
Milton | 2 | 1052 | |
Slinger | 2 | 1050 | |
Union Grove | 2 | 1050 | |
Cedarburg | 2 | 1043 | |
Wauwatosa East | 2 | 1042 | |
Green Bay Southwest | 2 | 1040 | |
Nicolet | 2 | 1029 | |
West Allis Central | 2 | 1023 | |
New Richmond | 2 | 1021 | |
Ashwaubenon | 2 | 1004 | |
West Bend West | 2 | 1003 | |
Beaver Dam | 2 | 991 | |
Menomonie | 2 | 970 | |
La Crosse Central | 2 | 964 | |
Burlington | 2 | 950 | |
Menasha | 2 | 949 | |
Wausau East | 2 | 945 | |
Notre Dame | 2 | 729 | Moved to D2 due to performance factor points |
Grafton | 2 | 728 | Moved to D2 due to performance factor points |
Rice Lake | 2 | 658 | Moved to D2 due to performance factor points |
Wisconsin Lutheran | 3 | 938 | Moved down due to performance factor (Rice Lake) |
Milwaukee Bay View | 3 | 935 | Moved down due to performance factor (Grafton) |
South Milwaukee | 3 | 935 | Moved down due to performance factor (Notre Dame) |
Tomah | 3 | 922 | |
Onalaska | 3 | 916 | |
Whitefish Bay | 3 | 915 | |
Milwaukee Lutheran | 3 | 913 | |
Wauwatosa West | 3 | 913 | |
Waterford | 3 | 906 | |
Sparta | 3 | 904 | |
Baraboo | 3 | 879 | |
Greendale | 3 | 871 | |
Waukesha North | 3 | 868 | |
Mount Horeb/Barneveld | 3 | 857 | |
Pewaukee | 3 | 851 | |
Reedsburg | 3 | 848 | |
Wilmot Union | 3 | 844 | |
Green Bay West | 3 | 841 | |
Fox Valley Lutheran | 3 | 833 | |
Milwaukee Vincent | 3 | 831 | |
Sauk Prairie | 3 | 819 | |
West Bend East | 3 | 815 | |
Whitnall | 3 | 807 | |
Stoughton | 3 | 806 | |
Port Washington | 3 | 799 | |
Fort Atkinson | 3 | 778 | |
New Berlin Eisenhower | 3 | 731 | |
Merrill | 3 | 727 | |
La Crosse Logan | 3 | 720 | |
New Berlin West | 3 | 719 | |
Rhinelander | 3 | 718 | |
Lakeland | 3 | 713 | |
Plymouth | 3 | 708 | |
McFarland | 3 | 705 | |
Pius XI Catholic | 3 | 693 | |
Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles | 3 | 692 | |
Milwaukee Washington | 3 | 692 | |
Kingdom Prep Lutheran | 3 | 688 | |
Shawano | 3 | 687 | |
Monroe | 3 | 676 | |
Martin Luther | 3 | 673 | |
Medford | 3 | 667 | |
Luxemburg-Casco | 3 | 664 | |
New London | 3 | 662 | |
Antigo | 3 | 647 | |
Waupaca | 3 | 635 | |
Kettle Moraine Lutheran | 3 | 631 | |
Portage | 3 | 624 | |
Catholic Memorial | 3 | 617 | Enrollment already places in D3 |
Baldwin-Woodville | 3 | 546 | Move to D3 due to performance factor points |
Winneconne | 3 | 508 | Move to D3 due to performance factor points |
Cudahy | 4 | 620 | Moved down due to performance factor (Winneconne) |
Kewaskum | 4 | 608 | Moved down due to performance factor (Baldwin-Woodville) |
Delavan-Darien | 4 | 600 | |
Saint Thomas More | 4 | 599 | |
Edgewood | 4 | 598 | |
Whitewater | 4 | 591 | |
Ashland | 4 | 589 | |
Kohler/Sheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran | 4 | 585 | |
Marinette | 4 | 576 | |
Waupun | 4 | 568 | |
Jefferson | 4 | 566 | |
Lakeside Lutheran | 4 | 566 | |
West Salem | 4 | 563 | |
Altoona | 4 | 560 | |
Mosinee | 4 | 556 | |
Wisconsin Dells | 4 | 550 | |
Seymour | 4 | 544 | |
Edgerton | 4 | 538 | |
Brown Deer | 4 | 525 | |
Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy | 4 | 519 | |
Two Rivers | 4 | 511 | |
Saint Francis | 4 | 505 | |
Ellsworth | 4 | 503 | |
Oconto Falls | 4 | 500 | |
Saint Croix Central | 4 | 497 | |
Freedom | 4 | 495 | |
Denmark | 4 | 491 | |
Milwaukee Madison | 4 | 484 | |
North Fond du Lac | 4 | 482 | |
Little Chute | 4 | 478 | |
Sheboygan Falls | 4 | 477 | |
Osceola | 4 | 476 | |
Turner | 4 | 476 | |
Shoreland Lutheran | 4 | 467 | |
Evansville | 4 | 466 | |
Somerset | 4 | 455 | |
Black River Falls | 4 | 453 | |
Xavier | 4 | 439 | |
Racine St. Catherine's | 4 | 437 | |
Lake Mills | 4 | 436 | |
Platteville | 4 | 434 | |
Lodi | 4 | 429 | |
Mauston | 4 | 427 | |
Berlin | 4 | 426 | |
Big Foot | 4 | 426 | |
Campbellsport | 4 | 426 | |
Wrightstown | 4 | 426 | Enrollment already places in D4 |
Ripon | 4 | 422 | |
Northwestern | 4 | 386 | Moved to D4 due to performance factor points |
Aquinas | 4 | 330 | Moved to D4 due to performance factor points |
Stratford | 4 | 277 | Moved from D6 to D4 due to performance factor points |
Milwaukee North/Milwaukee WI/Conservatory of Lifelong Learning | 5 | 420 | Moved down due to performance factor (Stratford) |
Adams-Friendship | 5 | 417 | Moved down due to performance factor (Aquinas) |
East Troy | 5 | 417 | Moved down due to performance factor (Northwestern) |
Arcadia | 5 | 411 | |
Richland Center | 5 | 409 | |
Milwaukee Academy of Science | 5 | 407 | |
Northland Pines | 5 | 404 | |
Bloomer | 5 | 403 | |
Obama SCTE | 5 | 397 | |
Ozaukee/Random Lake | 5 | 397 | |
Watertown Luther Prep | 5 | 392 | |
University School of Milwaukee | 5 | 390 | |
Kiel | 5 | 389 | |
Amery | 5 | 387 | |
Clintonville | 5 | 387 | |
Columbus | 5 | 385 | |
Brodhead/Juda | 5 | 383 | |
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau | 5 | 380 | |
Wautoma | 5 | 377 | |
Prescott | 5 | 375 | |
Tomahawk | 5 | 372 | |
Racine Lutheran | 5 | 370 | |
Lake Country Lutheran | 5 | 369 | |
Parkview/Albany | 5 | 360 | |
Dodgeville | 5 | 358 | |
Elk Mound | 5 | 355 | |
Sturgeon Bay | 5 | 354 | |
Chilton | 5 | 349 | |
Peshtigo | 5 | 346 | |
River Valley | 5 | 344 | |
Spencer/Columbus Catholic | 5 | 339 | |
Winnebago Lutheran | 5 | 337 | |
Mayville | 5 | 336 | |
Wittenberg-Birnamwood | 5 | 336 | |
Southwestern/East Dubuque (IL) | 5 | 334 | |
Spooner | 5 | 334 | |
Oostburg | 5 | 330 | |
Viroqua | 5 | 329 | |
Saint Croix Falls | 5 | 328 | |
Neillsville/Granton | 5 | 327 | |
Omro | 5 | 327 | |
New Holstein | 5 | 326 | |
Westfield | 5 | 325 | |
Amherst | 5 | 320 | |
Brookfield Academy | 5 | 319 | |
Brillion | 5 | 314 | |
Durand-Arkansaw | 5 | 310 | |
New Glarus | 5 | 308 | |
Horicon/Hustisford | 5 | 306 | |
Grantsburg | 5 | 279 | Moved to D5 due to performance factor points |
Darlington | 5 | 254 | Moved to D5 due to performance factor points |
Manitowoc Lutheran | 6 | 303 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Darlington) |
Barron | 6 | 302 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Grantsburg) |
Living Word Lutheran | 6 | 302 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Stratford) |
Cameron | 6 | 301 | |
Lancaster | 6 | 301 | |
Westby | 6 | 301 | |
Stanley-Boyd | 6 | 300 | |
Clinton | 6 | 299 | |
Colby | 6 | 299 | |
Southern Door | 6 | 296 | |
Cambridge | 6 | 294 | |
Lomira | 6 | 292 | |
Howards Grove | 6 | 291 | |
Laconia | 6 | 291 | |
Saint Mary Catholic | 6 | 290 | |
Oconto | 6 | 289 | |
Poynette | 6 | 289 | |
Mishicot | 6 | 281 | |
Cedar Grove-Belgium | 6 | 280 | |
Marathon | 6 | 279 | |
Kewaunee | 6 | 278 | |
Valders | 6 | 278 | |
Cumberland | 6 | 276 | |
Mondovi | 6 | 272 | |
Pardeeville | 6 | 272 | |
Luther | 6 | 270 | |
Bonduel | 6 | 269 | |
Fall Creek | 6 | 269 | |
Loyal/Greenwood | 6 | 269 | |
Unity | 6 | 269 | |
St. Mary's Springs | 6 | 266 | |
Belleville | 6 | 265 | |
Nekoosa | 6 | 265 | |
Weyauwega-Fremont | 6 | 257 | |
Fennimore | 6 | 255 | |
Marshall | 6 | 254 | |
Markesan | 6 | 253 | |
Prairie du Chien | 6 | 252 | |
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser | 6 | 247 | |
Ladysmith | 6 | 247 | |
Benton/Scales Mound (IL)/Shullsburg | 6 | 246 | |
Fall River/Rio | 6 | 246 | |
Mineral Point | 6 | 242 | |
Cuba City | 6 | 239 | |
Auburndale | 6 | 237 | |
Randolph/Cambria-Friesland | 6 | 235 | |
Waterloo | 6 | 233 | |
Regis | 6 | 227 | |
Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic | 6 | 206 | Moved to D6 due to performance factor points |
Edgar | 6 | 189 | Moved to D6 due to performance factor points |
Potosi/Cassville | 6 | 149 | Moved to D6 due to performance factor points |
Cadott | 7 | 226 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Potosi/Cassville) |
Crandon | 7 | 226 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Edgar) |
Crivitz | 7 | 220 | Moved down due to performance factor points (Kenosha St. Joseph) |
Iowa-Grant | 7 | 219 | |
Roncalli | 7 | 215 | |
Abbotsford | 7 | 214 | |
Boyceville | 7 | 214 | |
Necedah | 7 | 214 | |
Whitehall | 7 | 214 | |
Bangor | 7 | 211 | |
Shiocton | 7 | 208 | |
Pecatonica/Argyle | 7 | 207 | |
Coleman | 7 | 206 | |
Colfax | 7 | 205 | |
Dodgeland | 7 | 205 | |
Osseo-Fairchild | 7 | 205 | |
McDonell Central Catholic | 7 | 204 | |
Webster | 7 | 204 | |
Black Hawk/Warren (IL) | 7 | 203 | |
Deerfield | 7 | 200 | |
Melrose-Mindoro | 7 | 199 | |
Spring Valley | 7 | 196 | |
Kenosha Christian Life | 7 | 194 | |
Eleva-Strum | 7 | 193 | |
Riverdale | 7 | 193 | |
Boscobel | 7 | 192 | |
Iola-Scandinavia | 7 | 191 | |
Manawa | 7 | 190 | |
Augusta | 7 | 186 | |
Cashton | 7 | 186 | |
Glenwood City | 7 | 186 | |
Ithaca/Weston | 7 | 181 | |
Johnson Creek | 7 | 179 | |
Reedsville | 7 | 177 | |
Lourdes Academy | 7 | 175 | |
Pacelli | 7 | 173 | |
Brookwood | 7 | 171 | |
Independence/Gilmanton | 7 | 170 | |
Elmwood/Plum City | 7 | 168 | |
Hilbert | 7 | 167 | |
Blair-Taylor | 7 | 166 | |
Pittsville | 7 | 164 | |
Pepin/Alma | 7 | 162 | |
Cochrane-Fountain City | 7 | 161 | |
New Lisbon | 7 | 154 | |
Wauzeka-Steuben/Seneca | 7 | 153 | |
River Ridge | 7 | 148 | |
Palmyra-Eagle | 7 | 144 | |
Hillsboro | 7 | 138 | |
Royall | 7 | 131 | |
Catholic Central | 7 | 108 |
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].