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Divisions A, B & C

DIVISIONS/GRADE LEVELS

Currently, there are four Science Olympiad divisions: Division A1 (grades K-3); Division A2 (grades 3-6); Division B (grades 6-9); and Division C (grades 9-12). A maximum of five (5) 9th grade (on a Division B team) and seven (7) 12th grade (on a Division C team) students is permitted. Students on the team must be from the membership school; and a school is considered to be a separate school if it has a separate administrator. Recruiting from neighboring schools, districts, counties or states is not permitted.  (If you are a home-educated student, please see our national Home School Policy.) Because middle schools that do not have grades 8 or 9 are at a slight disadvantage, they may invite any combination of up to five (5) of their last year's 7th or 8th grade students to be part of the team.  For example:

  • A school with grades X-9 can only have 5 students from grade 9 (in their current enrollment)
  • A school with grades X-8 can only bring back 5 students from grade 9 (from the previous year's enrollment of 8th grade students)
  • A school with grades X-7 can only bring back 5 students from grade 8 or 9 (from the previous year's enrollment of 7th or 8th grade students)

Any given 8th or 9th grade student can compete at ONLY ONE division level (either B or C, not both).  There is no national tournament (nor national membership fee) for Division A elementary schools, but they can initiate local, school district or regional competitions.

MEMBERSHIP

A school team membership fee must accompany the completed membership application form thirty days before your regional or state tournament. This fee entitles the member school to a copy of the Science Olympiad Coaches and Rules Manual plus the eligibility to have up to 15 students participate at the first level of competition in your state, i.e., district, invitational, regional, or state tournament. A percentage of winning teams will remain eligible to continue on to the next level. At the national level each state will send one team per division and the states with larger membership will be invited to send two teams per division. It is important that schools submit a membership fee early to receive a copy of the rules. Specific rules have been developed for each event and need to be read carefully so the team can compete successfully.

Schools are encouraged to develop more than one Science Olympiad team (some schools involve the entire student body). Most states and regions restrict tournament participation to one team per school, while others encourage multiple memberships. Some schools have as many as ten separate paid memberships and all ten participate in tournaments. (State Tournament Directors will notify schools if multiple memberships are permitted.) If multiple teams are permitted, each team must have a full membership and a separate coach. Only one team per school is permitted to represent their state at the National Finals. Some states also limit the number of teams that can advance from regional tournaments.

Science Olympiad requires, and has required for the past 25 years, that all teams (up to 15 members) competing in any Science Olympiad tournament (Invitational, Regional, State or National) must be a member of Science Olympiad and pay the national fee of $60.  There is no exception to this requirement, regardless of what a single team or multiple team from the same school is called (Varsity, Junior Varsity, Alternate Team, Extra Team, Team Two).  If a school does permit multiple teams from the same school, Science Olympiad recommends that the best team members from the school be permitted to advance to the next level of competition.  No school, region or state Science Olympiad organization is allowed to alter or amend these national membership requirements. No part of the $60 membership fee is used to pay for the Science Olympiad National Tournament or administrative office expenses, which are supplied by sponsors, contributions, host institutions and other income. 

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

  • Each team receives a Science Olympiad Rules Manual - developed by the six Rules Committees which meet, plan and write year-round; aligned to the National Education Science Standards
  • Each team receives eligibility to participate and advance in local, Invitational, Regional, State and National Tournaments
  • Each team is provided access to resources on the national Science Olympiad web site, including Power Point presentations, sample tests, videos, surveys and the Frequently Asked Questions forum
  • Each sanctioned Science Olympiad tournament is granted access to the Science Olympiad Chapter and Club Liability Policy
  • Each state receives FREE first, second and third place medals and trophies from Science Olympiad
  • Each state organization receives training and materials at the annual three-day State Directors and Event Supervisors Meeting; room, board and materials courtesy of Science Olympiad
  • Each state organization receives marketing materials such as brochures, grant templates, press articles, administrative materials and DVDs
  • Each state organization receives public relations, grant-writing assistance, director communication, national policy writing and sponsor reports
  • Each state organization benefits from Science Olympiad National Partnerships and Sponsors, which provide workshop presenters, free equipment, dedicated web sites, educational resources, DVDs, books, school visits, access to grant programs, free trips and awards, national publicity, in-kind support, event supervision and regional funding

AWARDS

Athletic-style medals will be given for each event. In addition, championship trophies will be awarded to the Division B and C school teams compiling the lowest number of total points during a Science Olympiad tournament (first place is awarded one point, second place is two points, and so on). A team may participate in one or all of the events within its division.