To play a sport at any Houston ISD campus, your child needs a completed UIL Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form uploaded to RegisterMyAthlete.com and approved by the campus athletic trainer. The HISD sports physical form has two halves: a medical history that you and your child fill out at home, and a physical examination that a licensed provider performs and signs. Nothing else — not a pediatrician’s note, not a camp physical, not last year’s form — will clear your child to practice or compete.1Houston Independent School District. Forms and Documents
Download the Right Form First
HISD only accepts the official UIL form. The current 2026 version is a PDF available in English and Spanish from the HISD Athletics forms page and directly from UIL.2University Interscholastic League. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation – Medical History and Physical Examination Your child’s coach or campus athletic department can also hand you a printed copy. Get the form in hand before you book the doctor’s appointment so the provider can use the correct template at the visit — using any other form means paying for the exam twice.
Fill Out the Medical History Page at Home
The parent or guardian and the student complete the medical history page together before the appointment. Answer every question. Blank fields are one of the most common reasons the trainer sends the form back.
Pay close attention to the first six numbered questions. A “yes” answer to any of them means your child needs written clearance from a physician, physician assistant, chiropractor, or nurse practitioner before participating in any UIL activity, and that clearance letter has to be submitted with the physical.3Cloudfront.net. 2026 Medical History – Physical Form If your child had surgery or was hospitalized in the past year, plan for that extra step well before tryouts.
The cardiac section asks about fainting during exercise, known heart murmurs, chest pain with activity, and family history of sudden cardiac death before age 50. Answer honestly even if the issue seems minor. Coaches and trainers rely on these answers in an emergency.
The Optional ECG
The 2026 form includes a checkbox requesting an electrocardiogram.4University Interscholastic League. Athletic and Marching Band Pre-participation Physical Evaluation An ECG is not required for clearance, and checking the box does not hold up your child’s eligibility as long as the examining provider signs off on the physical. The school does not arrange or pay for the ECG; cost and scheduling are on the family. If your child answered “yes” to any cardiac question, it is worth pursuing.
The Physical Exam
Only a licensed physician, physician assistant, chiropractor, or nurse practitioner can perform the exam and complete the second page of the form.3Cloudfront.net. 2026 Medical History – Physical Form Bring the completed medical history page to the appointment so the provider can review it before the exam. The provider checks blood pressure, pulse, vision, hearing, heart and lung function, and musculoskeletal condition.
At the bottom of the exam page the provider marks one of three boxes: cleared for all sports without restriction, cleared with recommendations for further evaluation or treatment, or not cleared. If the provider wants follow-up testing before signing off, that follow-up clearance must come in writing and be submitted with the form. The provider also signs, dates, and ideally stamps the page. A missing signature, missing date, or illegible provider block will get the form rejected on review.
Check Every Signature Before Submitting
Three signatures must appear on the finished form: the parent or guardian, the student, and the examining provider. The parent and student both sign the medical history page, certifying the answers are complete and correct; the form warns that false information can carry UIL penalties.5Mabank Independent School District. UIL Paperwork The provider signs the exam page.
A single blank signature line means a rejected submission. This happens often when a parent completes the history at home, hands it to the student for the doctor visit, and forgets to sign. Check all three lines before you scan.
Date Rules: When the Physical Has to Be Performed
A UIL physical is tied to the school year, not a rolling 12 months. For the 2026–2027 school year, the exam must be dated on or after April 1, 2026.2University Interscholastic League. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation – Medical History and Physical Examination A physical dated March 31 or earlier will not count no matter how recent it feels. The medical history page also has to be filled out fresh each year.
Fall sport athletes — football, volleyball, cross country — need the form approved before the first official practice, which usually falls in early to mid-August. Coaches often set an internal cutoff a week or two earlier so the trainer has time to clear everyone. Spring sport athletes have more room, but there is no reason to wait. An appointment in April or May means your child’s paperwork is done before every athlete in Houston is competing for the same late-July slots at the pediatrician.
The Other Forms That Have to Ride Along
The physical is the heaviest piece of paperwork, but it is not the only requirement. HISD also requires:1Houston Independent School District. Forms and Documents
- A Concussion Acknowledgment Form signed by the parent and student.
- A Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Form.
- The UIL Anabolic Steroid and Random Testing Agreement.
- The UIL Acknowledgment of Rules.
- An insurance waiver documenting the student’s coverage or acknowledging UIL’s supplemental option.
A perfect physical does nothing on its own. If any of these items is missing, the trainer cannot clear the student in the system.
Uploading Through RegisterMyAthlete
HISD runs athletics registration through RegisterMyAthlete.com.6Houston Independent School District. Athletics Registration and Compliance Some campus sites call it Aktivate, which is the company that operates the platform.7Hogg Middle School. Athletics The sequence is straightforward:
- Create an account with a parent or guardian email.
- Select the correct school year and sport. Each sport season needs its own registration even when the physical carries over.
- Upload a clear scan or photo of both sides of the signed physical. Blurry images get rejected the same as missing ones; confirm the signatures, dates, and provider stamp are readable before you submit.
- Complete the concussion, cardiac, steroid, rules, and insurance forms directly in the portal. Most are quick electronic acknowledgments.
Once everything is in, the campus athletic trainer reviews the file. Your child cannot practice, try out, or compete until the trainer marks the profile as cleared.8Houston Independent School District. Athletics FAQs If something is incomplete or illegible, the portal flags it and you resubmit. Keep a personal copy of the signed physical in case you need to upload again.
Free and Low-Cost Options for the Exam
HISD partners with Memorial Hermann Community Benefits each summer to offer free sports physicals, typically in June.9Facebook. Houston Independent School District – Summer Sports Physicals Bring the UIL physical form and the Memorial Hermann packet, both available through your child’s coach. A parent must sign the required sections before the appointment, and if your student goes alone, the forms need to arrive already signed because unsigned paperwork cannot be processed on site.
Harris County Public Health also runs periodic sports physical and vaccination events at community centers on a first-come, first-served basis.10Facebook. Harris County Public Health – Sports Physicals and Vaccines Watch the HISD athletics page and your campus social accounts starting in April for dates. These clinics fill up fast, so arrive early. If you miss them, many Houston-area urgent care and retail clinics offer sports physicals for a modest fee. Confirm the provider will use the official UIL form rather than a generic template of their own.