American Computer Science League
The American Computer Science League (ACSL) has been organizing computer programming and computer science contests for K-12 schools, organizations, and local groups for 45 years. With over 700 teams from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia participating the previous year, ACSL offers multiple divisions to challenge students of varying ages and abilities.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
Elementary to High School Students
Eligibility
Senior, Intermediate, Junior & Classroom: $150 for the first team, $75 for each additional team.
Elementary: $100 for the first team, $50 for each additional team.
Entry fee
Contest 1: November 4, 2024 - January 12, 2025
Contest 2: January 6, 2025 - March 2, 2025
Contest 3: February 3, 2025 - April 13, 2025
Contest 4: March 3, 2025 - May 18, 2025
Submission deadline
5 PM EDT on the Finals (May 24, 2025)
Results Annoucement
Competition Details
1. Introduction
The American Computer Science League offers competitions in multiple divisions, dividing each season into four contests. Students will be tested on fundamental concepts in computer science, including programming. ACSL’s contests are administered online, with team advisors facilitating access and online resources available to help prepare students. At the end of the year, top students are invited to compete in an online Finals competition.
2. Division
Senior, Intermediate, Junior, Classroom, and Elementary. Each division covers similar topics but different difficulty levels, so students can join more than one division.
- Senior Division: Best for high school students with programming experience, especially those taking AP Computer Science.
- Intermediate Division: Best for high school students with little or no programming experience and for advanced junior high students.
- Junior Division: Best for junior high and middle school students learning to program or coding experience. No student beyond grade 9 may compete in the Junior Division.
- Classroom Division: Open to students in all grades. Ideally suited for students taking AP Computer Science Principles and other computer science classes without a major programming component.
- Elementary Division: for students grades 3-6
3. Resources for students
Previous year’s contests and online versions of previous years’ problems
4. Competition Questions
- Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Divisions: Each contest consists of a 30-minute, 6-question short answer test, and a programming problem to solve within 72 hours.
- Classroom Division: 50-minute, 10-question non-programming short answer test.
- Elementary Division: 30-minute, 6-question non-programming test, with different categories for each contest.
5. Competition Rules
Each team can have up to 12 students. Schools can register multiple teams within each division. A student can participate in only one team; team changes are not allowed after the first contest. High-scoring students are invited to the finals based on their regular season scores.
6. Results Announcement
Invitations to the end-of-year online Finals competition will be emailed between May 1, 2025, and May 21, 2025. The final competition will be held on May 24, 2025, and results and medal winners will be announced via a live stream at 5 PM EDT on the same day.
