Metro Classic Conference

The Metro Classic Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in southeastern Wisconsin. Formed in 2012 and consisting entirely of private schools, all members belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Metro Classic Conference was founded in 2012, the result of a split between member schools in the larger Midwest Classic Conference. Eight schools left the conference that year: Catholic Central in Burlington, Dominican in Whitefish Bay, Martin Luther in Greendale, Racine Lutheran, Shoreland Lutheran in Somers, St. Catherine's in Racine, St. Joseph in Kenosha and The Prairie School in Wind Point. St. Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, who had just left the Woodland Conference, rounded out the loop's original membership roster at nine schools.^[1] The conference was named after the old Metro Conference, a WISAA-sponsored conference that existed from 1974 to 1997 and counted four former members (Dominican, St. Catherine's, St. Joseph and St. Thomas More) in the new conference. Aside from Burlington Catholic Central's exit from the conference to return to the Midwest Classic,^[2] the Metro Classic Conference has held the same membership throughout its existence.

The Metro Classic Conference has sponsored football since its founding, with all members participating except for The Prairie School, which has never offered football as an interscholastic sport. Major changes came to the conference's football alignment after the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and the WIAA unveiled a realignment plan for Wisconsin high school football to begin with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle.^[3] Half of the conference's eight-member football lineup was retained, (Martin Luther, Shoreland Lutheran, St. Catherine's and St. Thomas More) with the other half (Catholic Central, Dominican, Racine Lutheran and St. Joseph) moving over to the Midwest Classic Conference. The four exiting schools were replaced by three schools from the Midwest Classic (Lake Country Lutheran, St. Francis and University School) and Brown Deer of the Woodland Conference.^[4] St. Francis left the Metro Classic's football roster to return to the Midwest Classic Conference for the 2022-2023 competition cycle and were replaced with former Capitol Conference members Luther Prep of Watertown.^[5] This alignment is set to remain intact through at least the 2027 football season.^[6][7]