The Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA) was established by the TSSAA Legislative Council in 1992 as an affiliate organization of TSSAA.
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the TMSAA name was dropped. Because TMSAA had always been under the umbrella of TSSAA, all member middle schools are now in the Middle School Division of the TSSAA instead of using the TMSAA name. The name "TSSAA Middle School State Championships" is being used and the Middle School Division adopted a similar terminology to high schools with Sections, Regions, and Districts for classification. This change was intended to strengthen the TSSAA brand while ensuring that middle school students enjoy the same level of benefits and recognition as their high school counterparts.
The middle school members have a committee of middle school administrators appointed to steer the organization and make recommendations for changes in their Bylaws to the Legislative Council. Final action on all recommendations submitted by the committee is made by the TSSAA Legislative Council.