As the current saga of Iowa High School Conference Realignment continue to unfold, the North Central Conference will be adding a 9th member for the 2025-26 school year as Charles City will join the league following “a mediation process facilitated by the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union”.
FULL RELEASE:
The Comets will be a non-voting member for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school year, before becoming a full-fledged member for the 2027-28 school year. The newcomers will also play a full NCC slate, except in volleyball, girls and boys basketball, baseball and softball for their first 2 years.
Charles City will join the league from the Northeast Iowa Conference, where the Comets were a founding member of one of Iowa’s oldest conferences back in 1920. Fellow NEIC members Waverly-Shell Rock and Decorah also partook in mediation hearings last week, as Crestwood, New Hampton and Waukon will all be joining the Upper Iowa Conference in 2025.
Charles City becomes the first new member of the North Central Conference since St. Edmond and Bishop Garrigan joined the league in 1993 (Bishop Garrigan would leave with Eagle Grove after the 2013-14 school year).
Following the mediation process, there will be a 4-year lockdown of the NCC where more schools cannot be admitted and the current schools are not able to leave.