Can Middle School Kids Attend High School Football Games?

All types of people attend high school football games – including high school students. Are middle school students allowed to go to high school football games?

We’ll review some policies we’ve seen regarding attendance for middle school students in addition to reasons why middle school students might need policies made for them.

Taking A Middle Schooler To A High School Football Game

If you didn’t grow up in a town practically powered by high school or college football, you might have missed out on interesting nights at the local football stadium. 

For reference, see the dramatization (or is it?) or high school football in both the movie and the show Friday Night Lights. 

The show is aptly named because most high school football games take place on Friday night, a few hours after school.

Since a high school football game can be as much a social gathering as it is a sport, the atmosphere at a game often involves a large crowd with lots of kids and adults.

The honest answer here is that while most high schools allow middle school kids to be in attendance at games, you should check with the high school first to make sure you know their policies regarding having students younger than high school at the game.

Community exceptions for high school football games

The reason why we suggest you reach out to your high school and potentially the athletic’s office is that some communities have rules about how kids younger than high school students can attend high school football games. 

We’ve read about more than a few communities that require middle school students to bring an ID from their school, require that a parent be present with the student, or require that the middle school student sits in a specific section unless they are sitting with their family.

You might be wondering why. In most cases, the reason is that unsupervised middle school students at a big event can cause trouble and safety issues – both for themselves and others. 

Issues include students running through the stands, climbing fences to sneak either onto the field or into the stadium, vaping or smoking, fighting, and not cooperating when asked to stop.

Rules can then change when the teams play away games in different districts. 

Other rules for high school football games

Generally speaking, most students are not allowed to bring bags or anything concealed into a high school football stadium, which is not unlike attending a professional football game where everything short of a diaper bag is rejected. 

Given the size of gatherings, the potential for violence off the field, with the crowd involved, is possible at a high school football game. Shootings are possible. 

The staff on hand is most likely looking for students or adults carrying weapons or alcohol.

Parents’ and middle schoolers’ rules

We do have to note that most of the exceptions we read for the purpose also make one specific rule: A parent can only bring a handful of middle schools – like a group of friends.

While this doesn’t apply to every school and game – in some cases, a parent isn’t supposed to be the “ticket” for several middle schoolers to enter at the same time and disappear from their parents sight.

What should middle schoolers do for a high school football game?

The simple answer is to follow the rules. 

The unfortunate part here is that all but a couple of middle school students can behave and have fun at a high school football game, and that alone can create a problem. 

Schools are typically low tolerance zones because there are many things that should not be happening there – from fights to smoking and trespassing. 

This is the unfortunate truth. Some reports regarding rule changes come as the result of many more middle school students showing up than expected at a football game – we are talking about at least a couple of hundred 12 to 15 year olds. 

Asking parents to show up lowers those numbers – and hopefully makes the ones doing negative things accountable to someone present.

Helping with a crowd at a high school football game

Let’s talk about a simple problem: When a high school football game happens, most of the parents want to focus on the game – or socializing with other parents. 

There are often police present in case of medical issues and because a game is often the most attended event of the week in some cities.

The rules for middle school have been introduced in some scenarios because there simply aren’t enough eyes to keep track of every person who wants to do something bad. Even if “something bad” is as simple as smoking under the bleaches – it’s not something anyone should be doing at school.

Related Reading

• Can A 19-Year-Old Still Play High School Football?
• Here’s how many years you can play High School football!
• How Much Do High School Football Tickets Cost?
• Can I take my dog to a high school football game?
• How Many High School Football Players Play In College?
• Can you play high school basketball at 19?
• Why does college football have so many commercials?
• Do College Football Games Stop for Commercials? Explained

Key Takeaways

• You’ll want to contact your local high school or athletic director to see what policies they have for middle school students
• Most high school football game allow middle school students with some exceptions, including requiring a parent to be present
• There are sometimes designated seating for middle school students
• Some high school football games also don’t allow one parent to bring in several students at the same time