National Academic Bee

Middle & Elementary School Divisions Homepage

2026 National Champions:
8th Grade – Miller Angevine, Ben Franklin Academy, GA
7th Grade – Vedanth Ajay, Redwood Middle School, CA
6th Grade – Avi Thakur, Mount Pleasant Middle School, NJ
5th Grade – Keaton Finan, Finan Homeschool, WA
4th Grade – Wisdom Minton, Minton Homeschool, VA
3rd Grade & Younger – Siddarth Meesala, Meesala Homeschool, VA

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National Academic Bee
National Academic Bee

The National Academic Bee Middle & Elementary School Divisions Overview

National Academic Bee

The National Academic Bee is a quiz competition for individual students, testing knowledge of all academic subjects at a grade-appropriate level. For students competing in the Middle & Elementary School Divisions, the National Academic Bee consists solely of the National Championships. The National Championships of the National Academic Bee is entirely a buzzer-based quiz competition.

The National Academic Bee is a quiz competition for individual students, testing knowledge of all academic subjects at a grade-appropriate level. For students competing in the various Middle and Elementary School Divisions, the National Academic Bee consists of one stage, namely the National Championships, which will take place in-person on Saturday, May 29, 2027 (preliminary rounds) and Monday, May 31, 2027 (playoff rounds). The National Championships of the US History Bee is entirely a buzzer-based quiz competition.

  • Eligibility: Students in 8th grade and younger. There is no younger age limit.

  • Competitors:  Individual students. Separate age divisions for 8th Graders, 7th Graders, 6th Graders, 5th Graders, 4th Graders, and for students in 3rd Grade & Younger.

  • Competition Style: In-person buzzer-based quiz tournament.

  • Inquiries: Contact help@iacompetitions.com

Competition Format

For students competing in the Middle & Elementary School Divisions, the National Academic Bee is a one-stage competition, consisting solely of the National Championships.

Stage
1

National Championships

The sole stage of the National Academic Bee for the Middle & Elementary School Divisions is the National Championships, which for the 2026-27 academic year will take place in-person at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, FL on Saturday, May 29 and Monday, May 31, 2027. No prior qualification is required, and the competition is open to any students in Grade 8 or younger during the 2026-2027 academic year who wish to compete. A full schedule of all events at the National Championships is available here. All students will play four preliminary round matches using standard International Academic Competitions buzzer-based online rules with 30 questions each. There will then be either one or two playoff rounds. One playoff round will be played if there are 30 students or fewer in an age division; two playoff rounds will be played if there are 31 or more students in an age division. The exact number of students who make the playoffs will be a function of the total number of registrants.

Different age divisions will be held at the National Championships for students in 8th Grade, 7th Grade, 6th Grade, 5th Grade, 4th Grade, and 3rd Grade & Younger.

The cost to compete at the 2027 National Academic Bee National Championships is $135. Registration for the National Championships of the National Academic Bee will open in November and run through early May on this page.

For all questions on the 2027 Middle & Elementary School National Championships, please email help@iacompetitions.com.

National Academic Bee Practice Resources

Rules & FAQs

Please see the files here that pertain to the National Academic Bee.

The hotels where we have room blocks, especially the host hotel, provide us with meeting space to hold the competitions and with sleeping accommodations for our staff, which we need to fly in from around the country. They do this in return for a commitment to fulfill a large number of sleeping room bookings over the course of Nationals weekend. For students who live near the Nationals host site for whom it would make sense to attend Nationals as a day trip and go back to their home each night, this rule does not apply.

Yes! They are actively encouraged to do so, and if they do so, they would play in the Junior Varsity Division which includes students in the 9th and 10th grade. For more information on how the National Academic Bee works at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels, please visit the National Academic Bee Varsity & Junior Varsity Divisions homepage.

National Academic Bee Results

Past National Champions

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YearGradeNameSchoolCityState
20268th GradeMiller AngevineBen Franklin AcademyAtlantaGA GA
20267th GradeVedanth AjayRedwood Middle SchoolSaratogaCalifornia Flag CA
20266th GradeAvi ThakurMount Pleasant Middle SchoolLivingstonNJ NJ
20265th GradeKeaton FinanFinan HomeschoolNewcastleWashington WA
20264th GradeWisdom MintonMinton HomeschoolBethesdaMD MD
20263rd GradeSiddarth MeesalaMeesala HomeschoolGlen Allen VA
20258th GradeAdvait DuvvuruHopkins Middle SchoolFremontCalifornia Flag CA
20257th GradeTaylor ChenAvery Trace Middle SchoolCookeville TN
20256th GradeYichen TanMayfield Junior SchoolPasadenaCalifornia Flag CA
20255th GradeAprameyan RamanujanSpring Hill Elementary SchoolMcLean VA
20254th GradeKeaton FinanFinan HomeschoolNewcastleWashington WA
20253rd Grade & YoungerNathan WangPingry SchoolShort HillsNJ NJ
20248th GradeArjun VijaykumarRedwood Middle SchoolSaratogaCalifornia Flag CA
20247th GradeNaman MishraRose Hill Middle SchoolRedmondWashington WA
20246th GradeRyca FinanFinan HomeschoolNewcastleWashington WA
20245th GradeAndrew CoxMidtown Classical HomeschoolTallahasseeFL FL
20244th GradeAvi ThakurBurnet Hill Elementary SchoolLivingstonNJ NJ
20243rd Grade & YoungerKeaton FinanFinan HomeschoolNewcastleWashington WA
20238th GradeNeha PandyaChallenger Strawberry ParkSan JoseCalifornia Flag CA
20237th GradeBhaskar MoorthyGlasgow Middle SchoolBaton RougeLA
20236th GradeStavya DangariaJohn Sinnott Elementary SchoolMilpitasCalifornia Flag CA
20235th GradeOmar RonOcean Grove Charter SchoolPlacervilleCalifornia Flag CA
20234th Grade & YoungerAndrew CoxMidtown Classical HomeschoolTallahasseeFL FL
20228th GradeSamanyu GaneshThe Westminster SchoolsAtlantaGA GA
20227th GradeNeha PandyaChallenger Strawberry ParkSan JoseCalifornia Flag CA
20226th GradeSahil PrasadBurleigh Manor Middle SchoolEllicott CityMD MD
2022Elementary SchoolOmar RonHomeschoolSan JoseCalifornia Flag CA
20218th GradeArin ParsaStanford Online High SchoolRedwood CityCalifornia Flag CA
20217th GradeMaximilian LinEastchester Middle SchoolEastchesterNY NY
20216th GradeNeha PandyaChallenger Strawberry ParkSan JoseCalifornia Flag CA
2021Elementary SchoolSatvik JainCentennial Lane Elementary SchoolEllicott CityMD MD
20208th GradeAnurag SodhiBurleigh Manor Middle SchoolEllicott CityMD MD
20207th GradeRohan RamachandranUniversity School of NashvilleNashville TN
20206th GradeNeil KathuriaMonroe Township Middle SchoolMonroe TownshipNJ NJ
2020Elementary SchoolBhaskar MoorthyBuchanan Elementary SchoolBaton RougeLA
20198th GradeAadit JunejaAptakisic Junior High SchoolBuffalo GroveIllinois Flag IL
20197th GradeRohan GaneshanQuest AcademyPalatineIllinois Flag IL
20196th GradeArin ParsaChallenger AlmadenSan JoseCalifornia Flag CA
2019Elementary SchoolShounak BhindwaleHenry P. Mohr Elementary SchoolPleasantonCalifornia Flag CA