United States History Bee

Middle & Elementary School Divisions Homepage

8th Grade – Padraig Finan, Risdon Middle School, WA
7th Grade – Bhaskar Moorthy, Glasgow Middle School, LA
6th Grade – Sebastian Jones, Dent Middle School, SC
5th Grade – Miller Angevine, Woodward Academy, GA
4th Grade & Younger – Aarnav Rudraraju, Challenger Ardenwood, CA

US History Bee
US History Bee

The US History Bee Middle & Elementary School Divisions Overview

US History Bee

The US History Bee is a quiz competition for individual students, testing knowledge of all aspects of American history at a grade-appropriate level. For students competing in the Middle & Elementary School Divisions, the US History Bee consists solely of the National Championships, which will take place on Sunday-Monday, May 26-27, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando as part of the IAC Middle & Elementary School National Championships weekend. The National Championships of the US History Bee is entirely a buzzer-based quiz competition. Please note that the US History Bee is a distinct competition from the National History Bee. Questions in the US History Bee focus exclusively on the history of the USA, inclusive of the colonial period. Questions in the National History Bee focus on both American history and general world history.

  • Eligibility: Students in 8th grade and younger who have qualified for and are competing in the National Championships of the National History Bee. 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 and Younger.
  • Competition Style: 4 preliminary rounds of buzzer-based competition, with semifinal and final rounds to determine the National Champions in each age division.

  • Inquiries: Contact ems-info@iacompetitions.com

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IAC Students

Competition Format

For students competing in the Middle & Elementary School Divisions, the US History Bee is a one-stage competition, consisting solely of the National Championships. Students can also qualify for the International History Olympiad by competing in the US History Bee.

Stage
1

National Championships

The National Championships of the US History Bee for the Middle and Elementary School Divisions for the 2023-24 academic year will take place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando from May 26-27, 2024. The four preliminary rounds take place in the late morning and early afternoon of Sunday, May 26 and the two final rounds take place in the afternoon of Monday, May 27. The National Championships for the US History Bee are also held in conjunction with the National Championships of the National History Bee, National Geography Bee, National Science Bee, and many other events. A full schedule of 2024 Varsity & Junior Varsity National Championships Events is available here.

For the Middle School & Elementary Divisions, only students who have qualified for and are competing in the National Championships of the National History Bee are eligible to compete in the US History Bee.

The cost to compete at the 2024 National Championships for the US History Bee is $129, or $125 if registration takes place before December 31, 2023. Registration for the National Championships opens in November and runs through early May on this page. Nationals weekend will also feature many other events, including the Opening Ceremonies, a Family Quiz Night, Universal Studios Night, Intro to Model United Nations, various talks and receptions, and the Jeopardy! Charity Games. A full schedule of 2024 Nationals Events is available here.

For all questions on the 2024 Middle & Elementary School National Championships, please email ems-info@iacompetitions.com.

Bonus
Stage

International History Olympiad

Students who compete in the Middle and Elementary School Divisions of the US History Bee can qualify for the 2025 International History Olympiad which will likely be held in London in July 2025! In addition to the more common methods of qualifying for the Olympiad (by finishing in the top 25% at any 2023-24 or 2024-25 Regional Finals tournament or National History Bowl Regional Tournament, or in the top 50% at the 2024 or 2025 National Championships of the National History Bee or National History Bowl), students can now also qualify for the 2025 International History Olympiad by placing in the top 50% of competitors in their age division at the US History Bee National Championships. The complete methods for qualifying for the Olympiad are explained here.

The International History Olympiad is a week-long event with numerous competitions, field trips, family activities and more. In each event, medals are awarded to the top 3 competing students in each age division. US students compete for their state; students from other countries (or students in the USA who were born abroad or who have foreign citizenship) represent those countries. Two of the most prestigious events at the Olympiad are the International History Bee World Championships and the International History Bowl World Championships; an overall Olympiad Championship title is also awarded in each age division; please view the website at www.historyolympiad.com for further details on all events and to register. We are expecting 300-400 students from around the world to attend the 2025 International History Olympiad!

For all questions on the 2025 International History Olympiad, please email david@iacompetitions.com. 

US History Bee Practice Resources

Past Questions

Past Questions from the National Championships

Quiz Bowl Packets

This site has links to hundreds of thousands of additional questions; most of which are not American history-themed, though a good many are

Rules & FAQs

Please see the files here that pertain to the US History 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. Students cannot transfer qualification in the National Championships at the Junior Varsity level to the Middle or Elementary School level National Championships. For more information on how the US History Bee works at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels, please visit the US History Bee Varsity & Junior Varsity Divisions Homepage.

Past National Champions

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Year Division National Champion School City State
2023 8th Grade Padraig Finan Risdon Middle School Newcastle WA WA
2023 7th Grade Bhaskar Moorthy Glasgow Middle School Baton Rouge LA LA
2023 6th Grade Sebastian Jones Dent Middle School Columbia SC SC
2023 5th Grade Miller Angevine Woodward Academy College Park GA GA
2023 4th Grade & Younger Aarnav Rudraraju Challenger Ardenwood Newark CA CA
2022 8th Grade Neev Sahgal Middlesex Middle School Darien CT CT
2022 7th Grade Padraig Finan Risdon Middle School Newcastle WA WA
2022 6th Grade Bhaskar Moorthy Glasgow Middle School Baton Rouge LA LA
2022 Elementary School Neel Jayaraman TAG Young Scholars School New York City NY NY
2021 8th Grade Arin Parsa Stanford Online High School Redwood City CA CA
2021 7th Grade Shounak Bhindwale Harvest Park Middle School Pleasanton CA CA
2021 6th Grade Neha Pandya Challenger Strawberry Park San Jose CA CA
2021 Elementary School Bhaskar Moorthy Buchanan Elementary School Baton Rouge LA LA
2020 8th Grade Henry Yao BASIS Independent Silicon Valley San Jose CA CA
2020 7th Grade Arin Parsa Homeschool San Jose CA CA
2020 6th Grade Arnav Kolluru Maroa-Forsyth Middle School Maroa IL IL
2020 Elementary School Shravan Yoagentharan Centennial Lane Elementary School Ellicott City MD MD