Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools

The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas.^[1] It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Salado, Texas.^[2][3] Founded in 1978, TAPPS governs athletic, fine arts, and academic contests for the majority of non-public high schools in Texas.^[a]

Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools

Predecessor	TAPPS
Formation	1978
Type	State Trade Association
Headquarters	Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Executive Director	Bryan Bunselmeyer
Website	https://www.tapps.biz

As of 2021, TAPPS organizes competitions for over 230 private schools in Texas.^[4]

History

TAPPS was chartered in 1978 with a membership of 20 schools. As of 2022, TAPPS lists their school membership at 230 with a combined enrollment of over 40,000 students.^[5] As early as 2013, TAPPS was using a proprietary software called TAPPSter to provide schools with online management tools for athletics and fine arts departments.^[6] In 2019, TAPPS signed a State Management contract with Rank One to serve schedules and game results to schools in their membership.^[7]

Controversies

Muslim and Jewish schools

In 2004, Darul Arqam, a Muslim school in Houston, submitted an application to join TAPPS. Khaled Katbi, who represented the school, had a meeting with TAPPS on November 4, 2004, and did not report any unusual questions. However the school subsequently received a letter which included a questionnaire with "Why do you wish to join an organization whose membership is basically in total disagreement with your religious beliefs?" and "Why do you think that the current member schools of TAPPS will not be biased against your school, based on the fundamental difference in your religion and Christianity, since about 90% of TAPPS schools embrace Christianity?" In response the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas stated that TAPPS should be investigated.^[8]

In 2010, Iman Academy Southwest, another Muslim school in Houston, submitted an application to join TAPPS. TAPPS responded by asking Iman to complete a questionnaire with questions like "Historically, there is nothing in the Koran that fully embraces Christianity or Judaism in the way a Christian and/or a Jew understands his religion. Why, then, are you interested in joining an association whose basic beliefs your religion condemns?" Iman Academy SW did not fill out the questionnaire and the attached application, and TAPPS denied Iman SW admission into the league. Iman SW did not appeal the decision.^[4] As of 2024, the Islamic private school Brighter Horizons Academy is a full member of TAPPS, competing in TAPPS 5A.

In 2012, TAPPS came under harsh criticism after it refused to reschedule a semifinals basketball game scheduled for 9 p.m. on Friday March 2 despite the fact that Robert M. Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish school, asked that its players not play on Jewish Sabbath.^[9] The school had won the regional championship to advance for their first trip to the semi-finals.^[10] An appeal was made by Beren Academy but denied by TAPPS under its bylaws set in the 1970s. TAPPS received legal pressure and pressure from Mayor Annise Parker of Houston as well as hundreds of letters.^[9] TAPPS eventually relented and allowed the game to be rescheduled under this pressure.^[4][11]

The controversies with the Muslim schools and Beren drew attention to the point where the Texas Catholic Conference called for a review of the association.^[12]

Sports officials

In 2015, the TAPPS Winter Division 1 Soccer State Championship Game was stopped by Trinity Christian Academy (TCA) coaches and Athletic Director to protest a yellow card that was issued by the referee to a John Paul II player. The TCA AD left the field of play and met with the TAPPS Executive Director. They walked back to the JPII bench together and the TAPPS Executive Director issued an Administrative Red card to the player, overruling the referee in charge of the game. This violated TAPPS section 134 "NO PROTESTS. A protest base on a game or contest official's decision will not be considered" and TAPPS section 27 "...may not protest a contest judge's / referee's or other official's decision". The cause of the controversy was that after scoring a goal to go up 1-0 with 32 minutes left in the game the player removed his jersey on the way to the bench and was issued a yellow card for this unsportsmanlike behavior. JPII was forced to play 10 v 11 for the remainder of the game and lost 1-2.^[13][14]

Groupings

Like the UIL, TAPPS aligns member schools into districts by geography and enrollment size for various contests. Each contest has a slightly different alignment based on the participating schools, but most follow the same basic framework. The districts are mostly decided behind closed doors by TAPPS every even year (in February, around the same time as the UIL's biannual redistricting), and are an attempt to keep schools within a certain distance of their hometown when attending competitions. Like the UIL, the districts are the first progression to the state championship.

Schools are further broken down with a letter classification to separate them from other schools of varying sizes based on average high school enrollment (single-sex schools have their student population average doubled). The purpose is ensured that schools compete only with others with similar size talent pools and resources.

Due to the wide variety of sports that some schools do and do not offer, and because some schools are single-sex, TAPPS uses several different classifications for sports (generally the larger the number the larger the school):

• Volleyball, basketball (boys and girls): 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A
• Football: Divisions I/II and III for six-man football (in I/II the schools are grouped together into districts, but in the playoffs they have separate brackets); Divisions I, II, III/IV (in III/IV the schools are grouped together into districts, but in the playoffs they have separate brackets), plus League (divided into two zones) for the 11-man game
• Baseball Divisions I through V
• Soccer: A single division (Division I) for fall, Divisions I through III for winter ^[b]
• Softball: Divisions I through IV

2024-2026 alignment

Source:^[15]

6A schools

District 1

School	City
Liberty Christian School	Argyle
Nolan Catholic High School	Fort Worth
Parish Episcopal School	Dallas
Trinity Christian Academy	Addison

District 2

School	City	Notes
Bishop Lynch High School	Dallas
John Paul II High School	Plano
Legacy Christian Academy	Frisco
Prestonwood Christian Academy	Plano
Ursuline Academy of Dallas	Dallas	Girls Only

District 3

School	City	Notes
Antonian College Preparatory High School	San Antonio
Central Catholic Marianist High School	San Antonio	Boys Only
Incarnate Word High School	San Antonio	Girls Only
St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School	Austin
St. Michael's Catholic Academy	Austin
TMI Episcopal	San Antonio

District 4

School	City	Notes
Concordia Lutheran High School	Tomball
Incarnate Word Academy	Houston	Girls Only
St. Agnes Academy	Houston	Girls Only
Saint John XXIII College Preparatory	Katy
St. Pius X High School	Houston
St. Thomas High School	Houston	Boys Only
The Village School	Houston

Independent

School	City	Notes
Cathedral High School	El Paso	Boys Only
Loretto Academy	El Paso	Girls Only

5A schools

District 1

School	City
All Saints Episcopal	Fort Worth
Coram Deo Academy	Flower Mound
Faith Christian School	Grapevine
Fort Worth Christian School	North Richland Hills
Grace Preparatory Academy	Arlington
Midland Christian School	Midland
Southwest Christian School	Fort Worth
Trinity Christian High School	Lubbock

District 2

School	City	Notes
Bishop Dunne Catholic School	Dallas
Brentwood Christian School	Austin
Brighter Horizons Academy	Garland
Brook Hill School	Bullard
Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep	Dallas	[c]
Grace Community School	Tyler
Hyde Park High School	Austin
Regents School of Austin	Austin

District 3

School	City	Notes
Providence High School	San Antonio	Girls Only
Saint Mary's Hall	San Antonio
San Antonio Christian School	San Antonio
St. Anthony Catholic High School	San Antonio
St. Augustine High School	Laredo
St. Joseph Academy	Brownsville
St. Joseph High School	Victoria

District 4

School	City
Bay Area Christian School	League City
The Emery/Weiner School	Houston
Fort Bend Christian Academy	Sugar Land
Logos Preparatory Academy	Sugar Land
Lutheran South Academy	Houston
Second Baptist School	Houston

District 5

School	City
Cypress Christian School	Houston
Frassati Catholic High School	Spring
Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy	Magnolia
Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School	Beaumont
The Woodlands Christian Academy	The Woodlands

4A schools

District 1

School	City
Lake Country Christian School	Fort Worth
Lubbock Christian School	Lubbock
Midland Classical Academy	Midland
Temple Christian School	Fort Worth
Trinity Christian Academy	Willow Park
Trinity School of Midland	Midland

District 2

School	City
Coram Deo Academy	Plano
Covenant Christian Academy	Colleyville
Covenant School	Dallas
Pantego Christian Academy	Arlington
Prince of Peace Christian School	Carrollton

District 3

School	City	Notes
All Saints Episcopal School	Tyler
Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Catholic School	Tyler
Dallas Christian School	Mesquite
June Shelton School	Dallas	[c]
McKinney Christian Academy	McKinney

District 4

School	City
Brazos Christian School	Bryan
Concordia Academy	Pflugerville
Hill Country Christian School	Austin
Round Rock Christian Academy	Round Rock
Texas School for the Deaf	Austin
Vanguard College Preparatory School	Waco
Veritas Academy	Austin

District 5

School	City
The Christian School at Castle Hills	San Antonio
Geneva School of Boerne	Boerne
Holy Cross of San Antonio	San Antonio
Incarnate Word Academy	Corpus Christi
John Paul II Catholic High School	Schertz
New Braunfels Christian Academy	New Braunfels
St. John Paul II High School	Corpus Christi

District 6

School	City	Notes
British International School of Houston	Katy	[c]
First Baptist Christian Academy	Pasadena
Northland Christian School	Houston
Rosehill Christian School	Tomball
St. Francis Episcopal School	Piney Point Village
St. Thomas' Episcopal School	Houston
Westbury Christian School	Houston

3A schools

District 1

School	City
Abilene Christian School	Abilene
Christian Life Preparatory School	Fort Worth
Covenant Classical School	Fort Worth
Denton Calvary Academy	Denton
Fellowship Academy	Kennedale
Weatherford Christian School	Weatherford

District 2

School	City	Notes
Burton Adventist Academy	Arlington
Chisholm Trail Academy	Keene
Dallas International School	Dallas
The Highlands School	Irving
Lakehill Preparatory School	Dallas
Lone Star-North	Gainesville	Boys Only Correctional Institution
North Dallas Adventist Academy	Richardson
Yavneh Academy of Dallas	Dallas

District 3

School	City
Cornerstone Christian Academy	McKinney
Dallas Lutheran School	Dallas
The Einstein School	Plano
Heritage Christian Academy	Rockwall
Lucas Christian Academy	Lucas
Wylie Preparatory Academy	Wylie

District 4

School	City	Notes
Central Texas Christian School	Temple
Faith Academy	Marble Falls
Keystone School	San Antonio
Live Oak Classical School	Waco
Lutheran High School of San Antonio	San Antonio
San Juan Diego Catholic High School	Austin	[c]
San Marcos Academy	San Marcos

District 5

School	City	Notes
Alpha Omega Academy	Huntsville
Covenant Christian School	Conroe
Lone Star-Southeast	Giddings	Boys Only Correctional Institution
Providence Classical School	Spring

Independent

School	City	Notes
Lydia Patterson Institute	El Paso	[c]

2A schools

District 1

School	City
All Saints Episcopal School	Lubbock
Ascension Academy	Amarillo
Christ the King Cathedral School	Lubbock
Holy Cross Catholic Academy	Amarillo
Holy Cross Catholic High School	Midland
Kingdom Preparatory Academy	Lubbock
San Jacinto Christian Academy	Amarillo
Southcrest Christian School	Lubbock

District 2

School	City
Bethesda Christian School	Fort Worth
Harvest Christian Academy	Keller
Mercy Culture Preparatory	Fort Worth
Nazarene Christian Academy	Crowley
Sacred Heart Catholic School	Muenster
Victory Baptist Academy	Weatherford
Victory Christian Academy	Decatur
Wichita Christian School	Wichita Falls

District 3

School	City
Alcuin School	Dallas
Cambridge School of Dallas	Dallas
First Baptist Academy of Dallas	Dallas
Garland Christian Academy	Garland
Ovilla Christian School	Red Oak
Prestonwood Christian-North	Prosper

District 4

School	City
Christian Heritage School	Longview
Greenville Christian School	Greenville
Poetry Community Christian School	Terrell
Longview Christian School	Longview

District 5

School	City
Austin Waldorf School	Austin
Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School	Waco
Holy Trinity Catholic High School	Temple
Summit Christian Academy	Cedar Park
Valor Preparatory Academy	Waco

District 6

School	City
Atonement Academy	San Antonio
Bracken Christian School	Bulverde
Faith Academy	Victoria
Sacred Heart Catholic School	Hallettsville
St. Paul High School	Shiner

District 7

School	City
Allen Academy	Bryan
Calvary Baptist School	Conroe
Faith West Academy	Katy
Houston Adventist Academy	Cypress
St. Joseph Catholic School	Bryan

District 8

School	City	Notes
Brazosport Christian School	Lake Jackson
The Briarwood School	Houston	[c]
Chinquapin Preparatory School	Highlands
Legacy Christian Academy	Beaumont
O'Connell College Preparatory School	Galveston

1A schools

District 1

School	City
Accelerate Christian School	Amarillo
First Odessa Christian Academy	Odessa
Jesus Chapel School	El Paso
Runnels Academy	Big Spring

District 2

School	City
Azle Christian School	Azle
Christ Academy	Wichita Falls
Cornerstone Christian Academy	Granbury
StoneGate Christian Academy	Irving
Texoma Christian School	Sherman

District 3

School	City
Eagle Christian Academy	Waco
Fairhill School	Dallas
Kingdom Collegiate Academy	DeSoto
Providence Academy	Rockwall
Westwood School	Dallas
The Winston School	Dallas
Waxahachie Preparatory Academy	Waxahachie

District 4

School	City
Athens Christian Preparatory Academy	Athens
Regents Academy	Nacogdoches
St. Boniface Catholic High School	Nacogdoches
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School	Lufkin
St. Mary's Catholic School	Longview
Trinity School of Texas	Longview

District 5

School	City	Notes
First Baptist School	Brownsville
Harvest Christian Academy	Edinburg
Juan Diego Academy	Mission	[c]
Macedonian Christian Academy	Alamo	[c]
Presbyterian Pan American School	Kingsville
South Texas Christian Academy	McAllen

District 6

School	City
Austin Classical School	Austin
Cornerstone Christian School	San Angelo
First Baptist Academy	Universal City
Gateway Christian School	San Antonio
Heritage School	Fredericksburg
Hill Country Christian School	San Marcos
Legacy Christian Academy	San Antonio
Living Rock Academy	Bulverde
Our Lady of the Hills High School	Kerrville
River City Believers Academy	Selma
Waterloo School	Austin

District 7

School	City
Covenant Academy	Cypress
The Covenant Preparatory School	Kingwood
Faith Academy	Bellville
Founders Christian School	Spring
Lifestyle Christian School	Conroe
Memorial Lutheran School	Houston
Second Baptist School University Model-Cypress	Cypress
Second Baptist School University Model-Memorial	Houston

District 8

School	City
Angleton Christian School	Angleton
Baytown Christian Academy	Baytown
Divine Savior Academy	Missouri City
Family Christian Academy	Houston
Grace Christian Academy	Houston
Robert M. Beren Academy	Houston

Independent

School	City
Radford School	El Paso

2023-24 State Champions

Baseball

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Division I	Central Catholic	San Antonio	[16]
Division II	Second Baptist	Houston
Division III	Brook Hill	Bullard
Division IV	First Baptist Christian	Pasadena
Division V	St. Paul Catholic	Shiner

Basketball

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A Girls	Harvest Christian	Edinburg	[17]
2A Girls	Covenant Christian	Conroe
3A Girls	Lubbock Christian	Lubbock
4A Girls	Lake Country Christian	Fort Worth
5A Girls	Southwest Christian	Fort Worth
6A Girls	Bishop Lynch	Dallas
1A Boys	Kingdom Collegiate	DeSoto	[18]
2A Boys	Bethesda Christian	Fort Worth
3A Boys	St. Francis Episcopal	Houston
4A Boys	St. Thomas Episcopal	Houston
5A Boys	Midland Christian	Midland
6A Boys	Parish Episcopal	Dallas

Cross Country

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A Girls	Texoma Christian	Sherman	[19]
2A Girls	Providence Classical	Spring
3A Girls	Coram Deo	Plano
4A Girls	Legacy Prep	Magnolia
5A Girls	St. Dominic Savio	Austin
6A Girls	Ursuline Academy	Dallas
1A Boys	Victory Baptist	Weatherford
2A Boys	Providence Classical	Spring
3A Boys	Live Oak Classical	Waco
4A Boys	Covenant	Dallas
5A Boys	TMI Episcopal	San Antonio
6A Boys	St. Thomas	Houston

Field Hockey

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Statewide	St. Agnes	Houston	[20]

Football

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Six-Man Division I	Emery/Weiner	Houston	[21]
Six-Man Division II	Covenant Christian	Conroe
Six-Man Division III	Prestonwood Christian-North	Prosper
11-Man Division I	Parish Episcopal	Dallas	[22]
11-Man Division II	Liberty Christian	Argyle
11-Man Division III	Dallas Christian	Mesquite
11-Man Division IV	First Baptist	Dallas

Golf

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A Girls	Prestonwood Christian-North	Prosper	[23]
2A Girls	All Saints Episcopal	Lubbock
3A Girls	Weatherford Christian	Weatherford
4A Girls	Logos Prep	Sugar Land
5A Girls	Lutheran South	Houston
6A Girls	Ursuline Academy	Dallas
1A Boys	Covenant Academy	Cypress
2A Boys	All Saints Episcopal	Lubbock
3A Boys	Rosehill Christian	Tomball
4A Boys	Covenant	Dallas
5A Boys	Woodlands Christian	The Woodlands
6A Boys	Trinity Christian	Addison

Soccer

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Fall Soccer
Boys Statewide	Yavneh Academy	Dallas	[24]
Winter Soccer
Division I Boys	John Paul II	Plano	[25]
Division II Boys	St. Joseph Academy	Brownsville
Division III Boys	Brook Hill	Bullard
Division I Girls	Ursuline Academy	Dallas	[26]
Division II Girls	Grace Community	Tyler
Division III Girls	McKinney Christian	McKinney

Softball

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Division I	St. Agnes[27]	Houston	[28]
Division II	St. Joseph	Victoria
Division III	Brook Hill	Bullard
Division IV	Sacred Heart	Hallettsville

Swimming

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Division I Girls	Bishop Lynch	Dallas	[29]
Division II Girls	TMI Episcopal	San Antonio
Division III Girls	Legacy Prep	The Woodlands
Division I Boys	Cathedral	El Paso
Division II Boys	TMI Episcopal	San Antonio
Division III Boys	Logos Prep	Sugar Land

Tennis

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A Girls	Covenant Prep	Kingwood	[30]
2A Girls	All Saints Episcopal	Lubbock
3A Girls	San Jacinto Christian	Amarillo
4A Girls	John Paul II	Plano
5A Girls	Emery/Weiner	Houston
6A Girls	Ursuline Academy	Dallas
1A Boys	Briarwood	Houston
2A Boys	Abilene Christian	Abilene
3A Boys	Live Oak Classical	Waco
4A Boys	Incarnate Word	Corpus Christi
5A Boys	TMI Episcopal	San Antonio
6A Boys	Village	Houston

Track & Field

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A Girls	Heritage School	Fredericksburg	[31]
2A Girls	St. Paul Catholic	Shiner
3A Girls	Rosehill Christian	Tomball
4A Girls	Brentwood Christian	Austin
5A Girls	Fort Bend Christian	Sugar Land
6A Girls	St. Agnes	Houston
1A Boys	Brazosport Christian	Lake Jackson
2A Boys	First Baptist	Dallas
3A Boys	Central Texas Christian	Temple
4A Boys	Trinity Christian	Lubbock
5A Boys	Lutheran South	Houston
6A Boys	St. Thomas	Houston

Volleyball

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
1A	Christ Academy	Wichita Falls	[32]
2A	Ovilla Christian	Red Oak
3A	Keystone	San Antonio
4A	Grace Prep	Arlington
5A	Liberty Christian	Argyle
6A	Prestonwood Christian	Plano

Wrestling

Classification	Champion	School city	Source
Boys Statewide	Bishop Lynch	Dallas	[33]

See also

• Texas portal
• Schools portal

• List of private schools in Texas
• Southwest Preparatory Conference

Notes

1. Texas, unlike most states, has separate organizations for public and private schools (excluding two very large all-male parochial schools which have been allowed to join the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for public schools). However, public and private schools may schedule each other in competition.
2. Although fall soccer programs are de facto boys teams, many are co-ed. Some boys' winter soccer programs are co-ed when there are not enough players to form a girls' squad.
3. School moved down one classification level for circumstantial reasons. This is mostly done for schools serving low-income students and for special education schools.