New Jersey HS athletics combines public, parochial, and non-public competition under NJSIAA, with particularly recruiting-dense ecosystems in lacrosse, soccer, basketball, wrestling, and baseball. Lightning for Schools is built for NJSIAA athletic directors: FERPA-compliant student-data handling, 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras, and recruiting-portal integration that matches the recruiting volume of NJ HS sports.
Built for NJSIAA
Governing Body
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA)
Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support NJSIAA-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference:
www.njsiaa.org.
Compliant with FERPA + New Jersey data protection standards
Student Data Privacy
FERPA + New Jersey data protection standards
Student-athlete records in New Jersey are governed by FERPA and New Jersey's data security and breach-notification requirements (N.J.S.A. 56:8-161 et seq.). Education vendors handling NJ student data must demonstrate FERPA-compliant handling practices and reasonable security safeguards. 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 New Jersey athletic directors actually deal with
- NJSIAA tournament structure runs Sectional → Group → State stages — each year's seeding rolls through multiple bracket layers, creating staged-bracket operational workload distinct from straight state-bracket states.
- Non-public schools (Don Bosco Prep, Bergen Catholic, St. Peter's Prep, St. Joseph Regional, Delbarton, DePaul Catholic) compete in their own Non-Public A and B divisions but appear alongside public schools in select cross-bracket competitions — managing public/non-public boundary is operational reality for NJ ADs.
- NJ HS lacrosse density is among the highest in the country — every county has multiple competitive programs feeding D1 ranks. NJ wrestling similarly produces national recruiting visibility through programs like St. Joseph Montvale, Delbarton, Bergen Catholic.
- NJSIAA's competitive-balance rules and recent multiplier debates for non-public schools generate ongoing classification discussions — NJSIAA committee work on this is recurrent.
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 + New Jersey 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 New Jersey
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:
North Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson)
Central Jersey (Middlesex, Mercer)
Shore area (Monmouth, Ocean)
South Jersey (Camden, Burlington)
Talk to Christian directly
I'm the founder. New Jersey 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.