Varsity and Junior Varsity Divisions
The Varsity Division is only for students in 11th and 12th grade; these students compete together against each other with the Varsity Division.
The Junior Varsity Division is for all students in 10th grade and younger (including ambitious Middle School and Elementary School students!). Note that the JV questions are harder than the questions used in the Middle and Elementary School Divisions, and that in JV, all students in 10th grade and younger compete against each other. The JV and Middle/Elementary School National Championships take place on different weekends and use different questions; thus any student who is qualified to attend both may do so. If a student in 8th grade or younger qualifies for JV Nationals, they are automatically qualified for the National Championships of their corresponding division within the Middle and Elementary School International Science Bee.
Middle and Elementary School Divisions
Within the International Science Bee's Middle and Elementary School Divisions, students must participate in the division that corresponds to their formally recognized grade level. Note that at smaller Regional Finals, students will sometimes play against other students in a different division in the preliminary rounds, but they will only be ranked to determine Nationals qualification and who makes the final round against other students in their grade (or for Elementary School Division students, against other students in 5th grade and younger).
Homeschoolers
In the absence of a formally recognized grade, students will play in the division that corresponds to their assigned grade based on their birth date as detailed on the Info for Homeschoolers page.