Expert Overview

In-person team math competition for students in grades 1 to 12, run by Math Kangaroo USA at participating centers across the United States. Teams of two to four solve 24 or 30 problems together in 60 minutes and are ranked within a division set by their oldest member. Registration is paid per student.

Format

Team

Judging Format

Scoring based

Recognition

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

US, International

Discipline

MathematicsLogical ReasoningProblem-Solving

Entries

60,504

Percent Awarded

12%

Important Dates

Regular team registration opens

June 15, 2026

Regular registration closes

September 15, 2026

Late registration deadline

October 15, 2026

Competition Window

November 13–20, 2026 (centers select exact day/time)

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

Regular Registration

$15 per student or $8 per student (Title I Schools)

Late Registration

$25 per student

About

An adult coach, usually a teacher, center manager, or parent, forms the team and registers and pays for it. Students may team up across grades and schools, and a team competes in the division of its oldest member. The team submits one answer sheet, with answers confirmed by all members, on a paper mixing multiple-choice and short-answer questions; no calculators are allowed. Each center chooses its day within a one-week November window. Scores run to 800 for grades 1 to 4 and 1,000 for grades 5 to 12. The top three teams per grade win a trophy and medals or pins for each member, and teams reaching 650 of 800 or 800 of 1,000 are named Excellence Teams.

Excellence is a score threshold, not a rank, so it can go to many teams, and the national medals are the credential. The medal tiers allow ties, and the 2025 Grade 4 list shows six teams sharing gold, silver, and bronze. The organizer publishes no count of teams or centers, so how selective a medal is cannot be stated.

A national team medal shows a student can work through hard problems as part of a group.