Iowa HS athletics is anchored by its unique two-association structure (IHSAA for boys, IGHSAU for girls) and unusually strong wrestling, football, and basketball traditions. Lightning for Schools is built for Iowa athletic directors managing both: FERPA-compliant student-data handling, 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras, and a recruiting portal integration matched to IA HS recruiting density.
Built for IHSAA
Governing Body
Iowa High School Athletic Association (note: separate from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union) (IHSAA)
Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support IHSAA-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference:
www.iahsaa.org.
Compliant with FERPA + Iowa data protection standards
Student Data Privacy
FERPA + Iowa data protection standards
Student-athlete records in Iowa public schools are governed by FERPA plus Iowa's data security and breach-notification requirements. Vendors handling IA student-athlete data must meet FERPA's third-party handling requirements. Lightning's data-handling practices are built to meet these requirements; a vendor that can't speak to your state's privacy framework should not be on your shortlist.
What Iowa athletic directors actually deal with
- Iowa is one of the only states with separate governing bodies for boys (IHSAA) and girls (IGHSAU) athletics — ADs operate dual reporting workflows that vendors built for single-body states don't handle cleanly.
- Iowa HS wrestling state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena fills 10,000+ seats per session across multiple days and is culturally one of the most-attended HS sports events in the country.
- Eight-man football is sanctioned and competitive in Iowa's small rural schools — distinct from 11-man programs in terms of roster sizes, recruiting visibility, and operational workflows.
- Iowa's open-enrollment policy generates more inter-district transfer eligibility review work than typical states.
What Lightning for Schools includes
10 coach seats included
Flat $150/yr base includes 10 full coach seats. Need more for a big multi-sport department? Add extra seats anytime at 50% of the coach-tier price.
Roster + eligibility
Per-sport, per-season roster management with eligibility tracking, transfer documentation, and out-of-season practice limits.
Recruiting portal integration
Your student-athletes' Lightning profiles roll into a searchable college-coach portal — recruiting attention without leaving the AD platform.
DPA-compliant data handling
Aligned with FERPA + Iowa data protection standards requirements. Documentation available for your district's procurement review.
Stat verification
Coach Verified and Tournament Verified stats flow into the recruiting layer automatically. Reduces manual roster-update workload for AD staff.
Multi-season scheduling
Fall / winter / spring sport scheduling in one tool — facility allocation, transportation requests, official assignments.
Built for athletic departments across Iowa
We're looking for our first partner departments in the state. If you're an AD in one of these areas and want to talk through a pilot:
Des Moines metro
Cedar Rapids area
Davenport / Quad Cities
Iowa City area
Sioux City area
Waterloo area
Talk to Christian directly
I'm the founder. Iowa athletic directors who want to talk through a pilot or just get specific questions answered can reach me directly: [email protected] or (443) 996-6563.