Iowa girls high school basketball rankings
From the farm-fueled towns of the heartland to the bustling concrete canyons on the coast, high school girls basketball is a cultural touchstone.
Basketball engages nearly 400,000 girls to join high school teams per year, according to 2021-22 data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. With almost 18,000 high schools maintaining girls teams, basketball is the most widely offered girls high school sport, beating out track and field and volleyball. Such data paints a clear picture of the sport's cultural impact.
And girls basketball dates back over a century. Iowa, for instance, traces its girls state championship history to 1920. That timeline doesn't lag far behind boys' basketball: Illinois' boys state championship began just 13 years before Iowa's girls event. However, girls across the country weren't given equal representation and support in the sport until the passage of the gender equality act known as Title IX in 1972. Since the arrival of that legislation, girls participation in basketball—and sports as a whole—exploded. Now, girls play basketball in high school gyms across all 50 states.
To dig into competition data behind the ever-growing sport of high school girls basketball, Stacker compiled statewide rankings in Iowa using MaxPreps. MaxPreps' rankings factor in win-loss record, win quality, and strength of schedule. Keep reading to find out which schools top the girls basketball charts in Iowa.
Class 1A
1. Bishop Garrigan (Algona): 28-2 (3-0 in North Central), 25.2 rating, 27 straight wins
2. Newell-Fonda (Newell): 25-3 (11-0 in Twin Lakes), 23.4 rating
3. North Linn (Troy Mills): 23-1 (14-0 in Tri-Rivers - West), 18.9 rating
4. St. Mary's (Remsen): 25-2 (11-1 in War Eagle), 15.9 rating
5. Woodbine: 22-3 (5-0 in Conference), 15.6 rating
6. Westwood (Sloan): 20-3 (9-2 in Conference), 15.0 rating
7. Winfield-Mt. Union (Winfield): 21-1 (13-0 in SEI - North), 11.7 rating
8. St. Albert (Council Bluffs): 16-6 (10-3 in Hawkeye Ten), 11.5 rating
9. Kingsley-Pierson (Kingsley): 16-5 (11-1 in Conference), 10.6 rating
10. Exira-EHK (Elk Horn): 15-5 (6-0 in Rolling Hills), 10.5 rating
Class 2A
1. Central Lyon (Rock Rapids): 21-1 (14-0 in Siouxland), 28.0 rating
2. Dike-New Hartford (Dike): 26-2 (13-1 in Conference), 22.3 rating, 7 straight wins
3. Sibley-Ocheyedan (Sibley): 21-4 (15-3 in Siouxland), 22.0 rating
4. West Fork (Sheffield): 22-1 (12-0 in Corn Bowl), 16.5 rating
5. Treynor: 22-2 (14-2 in Western Iowa), 16.0 rating, 9 straight wins
6. Regina (Iowa City): 21-5 (13-1 in River Valley - South), 15.0 rating
7. Panorama (Panora): 16-5 (9-1 in West Central), 12.7 rating, 3 straight losses
8. Aplington-Parkersburg (Parkersburg): 20-5 (5-3 in Conference), 12.3 rating
9. Hinton: 19-4 (7-2 in War Eagle), 12.1 rating
10. Osage: 22-3 (3-0 in North Iowa), 12.0 rating
Class 3A
1. Estherville Lincoln Central (Estherville): 24-0 (10-0 in Lakes), 26.2 rating
2. Sioux Center: 24-5 (13-5 in Siouxland), 25.0 rating, 10 straight wins
3. West Lyon (Inwood): 17-6 (14-4 in Siouxland), 18.1 rating
4. Vinton-Shellsburg (Vinton): 19-8 (8-4 in WAMAC - West), 17.7 rating
5. Des Moines Christian (Des Moines): 21-3 (13-0 in West Central), 17.1 rating, 10 straight wins
6. Unity Christian (Orange City): 17-6 (7-0 in War Eagle), 16.2 rating
7. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (Eddyville): 22-3 (11-1 in South Central), 16.0 rating
8. Wahlert (Dubuque): 16-5 (10-5 in Mississippi Valley), 15.2 rating, 5 straight wins
9. Pocahontas: 10-4 (4-2 in Twin Lakes), 13.8 rating
10. Monticello: 15-4, 13.2 rating
Class 4A
1. North Polk (Alleman): 22-2 (15-0 in Raccoon River), 30.2 rating
2. Ballard (Huxley): 18-4 (13-3 in Raccoon River), 25.8 rating
3. Dallas Center-Grimes (Dallas Center): 19-3 (9-1 in Little Hawkeye), 25.0 rating, 12 straight wins
4. Bishop Heelan Catholic (Sioux City): 23-4 (14-1 in Missouri River), 22.2 rating
5. Solon: 22-4 (4-0 in WAMAC - East), 21.3 rating, 2 straight losses
6. Benton (Van Horne): 22-5 (11-1 in WAMAC - West), 19.8 rating, 2 straight losses
7. Decorah-North Winneshiek (Decorah): 20-3 (8-0 in Northeast Iowa), 19.0 rating
8. Clear Creek-Amana (Tiffin): 15-5 (8-3 in WAMAC - West), 18.6 rating
9. Spencer: 16-5 (8-2 in Lakes), 18.3 rating
10. Carlisle: 14-7 (9-5 in Raccoon River), 17.3 rating
11. Xavier (Cedar Rapids): 14-8 (10-6 in Mississippi Valley), 15.8 rating
12. Pella: 17-6 (11-3 in Little Hawkeye), 14.0 rating
13. Bondurant-Farrar (Bondurant): 12-10 (7-8 in Raccoon River), 12.9 rating
14. Grinnell: 16-7 (8-2 in Little Hawkeye), 12.6 rating
15. Waverly-Shell Rock (Waverly): 16-7 (6-2 in Northeast Iowa), 12.5 rating
Class 5A
1. Johnston: 24-2 (15-1 in Conference), 30.7 rating
2. Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines): 16-4 (6-2 in Conference), 27.8 rating
3. Pleasant Valley: 27-0 (19-0 in Mississippi), 26.7 rating, 27 straight wins
4. Waterloo West (Waterloo): 23-2 (17-1 in Mississippi Valley), 23.1 rating
5. Southeast Polk (Pleasant Hill): 12-5 (5-2 in Conference), 21.4 rating
6. Ankeny Centennial (Ankeny): 14-7, 20.4 rating
7. Davenport North (Davenport): 15-2 (11-2 in Mississippi), 18.9 rating, 7 straight wins
8. Valley (West Des Moines): 10-7 (0-2 in Conference), 17.8 rating
9. Sioux City East (Sioux City): 14-4 (10-2 in Missouri River), 17.7 rating
10. Linn-Mar (Marion): 13-7 (11-4 in Mississippi Valley), 16.3 rating
11. Iowa City West (Iowa City): 15-7 (11-5 in Mississippi Valley), 15.9 rating
12. Kennedy (Cedar Rapids): 13-6 (10-5 in Mississippi Valley), 15.5 rating
13. Liberty (North Liberty): 12-6 (11-3 in Mississippi Valley), 14.8 rating
14. Cedar Falls: 14-6 (12-5 in Mississippi Valley), 14.4 rating
15. Waukee: 8-8 (3-4 in Conference), 13.2 rating
