14 Statistics Competitions for High School Students
If you enjoy working with data and spotting patterns, there are ways to build real experience in statistics without spending much money. One of the easiest ways to do this is by taking part in statistics competitions.
What are statistics competitions? What will I do as a contestant?
Statistics competitions are challenges where students analyze data, build models, or draw conclusions from real datasets. You might work independently or in teams to answer open-ended questions, test ideas, or explain trends clearly. Many competitions are virtual, which means you can participate from anywhere without travel or high entry fees.
How can participating in statistics competitions be helpful in high school?
These competitions are a strong way to earn recognition for your analysis and problem-solving skills. You will improve on teamwork, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills, all of which will be helpful for your own business. Even being shortlisted shows credibility and gives you something specific to talk about in college applications or interviews.
To prepare for these competitions, you could enrol in statistics summer programs for high school students, or intern at a startup and refine your stats skills over a few weeks.
To get started, here are 14 statistics competitions for high school students!
Note: Some items below are statistics and related programs that will prepare you for participating in statistics competitions in the future.
14 Statistics Competitions for High School Students
1.ASA Statistics Project Competition
Location: National (U.S.)
Cost: Free to enter; cash prizes of $300 (first), $200 (second), $100 (third) awarded
Program Dates: January–June
Application Deadline: Submission deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12; individual or teams of up to four students; introductory statistics knowledge expected
The American Statistical Association runs this competition as a full research process from start to finish. You begin by choosing a question that can be answered with data you collect on your own, then decide how to organize, analyze, and interpret that data using tools from introductory statistics. The work comes together as a written report where clarity matters as much as correctness. Judges look closely at how well your methods fit the question, how thoughtfully you explain results, and whether you reflect honestly on limitations or mistakes.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Location: Global (virtual)
Cost: Free to participate; no stipends or cash prizes
Program Dates: December–April
Application Deadline: Registration window: December 3–January 28
Eligibility: High school students worldwide (typically ages 14–18); teams of 3–5 students from the same school with a faculty advisor; Algebra I recommended
Wharton High School Data Science Competition places you in a team setting that mirrors real analytics work. You and your teammates are given a large sports dataset and asked to make sense of performance using statistical reasoning and data cleaning. Decisions about what to measure and how to justify rankings matter as much as the final output. Roles naturally split between analysis and presentation, forcing collaboration rather than solo problem-solving. Recognition comes through visibility and institutional credibility rather than prizes, which makes finalist status meaningful for academic portfolios.
4.High School Analytics & Data Visualization Competition
Location: Local (Philadelphia, PA; hybrid with virtual and in-person rounds)
Cost: Free to participate
Program Dates: February 25–March 11
Application Deadline: Registration deadline: December 19
Eligibility: High school students; team-based participation; no specific prior coursework required
The High School Analytics and Data Visualization Competition focuses on how well you can turn data into insight that someone else can understand. You work with a provided dataset and decide what story the numbers actually tell, then communicate that story through dashboards and visual tools. Progression through rounds pushes you to refine both analysis and explanation. Judges care less about complex formulas and more about whether your visuals support clear decisions. Mentorship along the way helps sharpen presentation and reasoning, especially if you are new to analytics.
5. Rochester Pre-College Data Science Challenge
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Cost: Free
Program Dates: February 19–April 26
Application Deadline: Registration window: February 19–April 5
Eligibility: High school students in the Greater Rochester area; teams of 3–5 students; all experience levels welcome
Rochester Institute of Technology hosts this challenge as a sustained team investigation rather than a short contest. You work with peers to identify a question connected to environmental or public health concerns and then locate appropriate public datasets. Analysis involves testing ideas, spotting patterns, and deciding what conclusions are supported by evidence. Communication is treated as part of the work through reports, slides, and short videos. Faculty guidance keeps teams on track while still leaving room for independent thinking and experimentation.
6. M3 Challenge (MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge)
Location: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), United States
Cost: Free to participate; team scholarship awards ranging from $1,000 to $20,000
Program Dates: Challenge weekend (14 consecutive hours, selected by teams)
Application Deadline: Registration closes February 20
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in the U.S. (including territories); sixth-form students (ages 16–19) in England and Wales; teams of 3–5 students with a coach
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge compresses an entire modeling process into a single intense window. Once the problem is released, you and your team must quickly decide on assumptions, choose data strategies, and build models under time pressure. Writing clearly matters because your submission is judged as a formal paper by applied mathematicians. The challenge rewards teams that can balance speed with careful reasoning and validation. Scholarships and presentation opportunities recognize not just correct answers but also how well uncertainty and limitations are handled.
7. Iron Viz: Student Edition (Tableau)
Location: Virtual (hosted by Tableau, Salesforce)
Cost: Free to participate; prizes include certification vouchers and travel support.
Program Dates: Qualifier submission period (self-paced; single submission)
Application Deadline: Submissions due November 21
Eligibility: Students worldwide, including high school students, must self-identify as a student during submission
Iron Viz: Student Edition asks you to work solo and show how well you can think through data visually. You choose a public dataset tied to the annual theme and decide what story is worth telling before opening any design tools. The judging is not about flashy charts but about whether your visualization shows judgment, interpretation, and narrative control. You are expected to explain why patterns matter and how conclusions follow from the data. Publishing your work places it in the same ecosystem as professional analysts, which makes recognition here carry weight beyond student spaces.
8. High School Big Data Challenge (HSBDC)
Location: Virtual program with conferences at the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary
Cost: CAD 250 per team (self-paced) or CAD 1,800 per student (instructor-led); partial scholarships are available
Program Dates: October 13–January 23
Application Deadline: Registration window: September 10–October 17
Eligibility: High school students worldwide; teams of up to 5 students; no prior programming experience required
The High School Big Data Challenge is structured like a long research cycle rather than a one-off submission. You work in a team to frame a question around food systems or agriculture, then spend weeks sourcing data and deciding how to analyze it responsibly. Communication is treated as part of the analysis, not an afterthought, through a paper, poster, and presentation. Workshops and optional instruction help you refine methods without dictating answers. The possibility of publication and conference presentation makes the experience feel closer to academic research than a typical competition.
9. Modeling the Future Challenge
Location: U.S (hosted by The Actuarial Foundation)
Cost: Free to participate; scholarship prizes totaling up to $60,000
Program Dates: Fall–Spring research competition period
Application Deadline: Registration opens in the fall
Eligibility: High school students in the United States; team-based participation encouraged
Modeling the Future Challenge centers on risk rather than prediction. You build a model that explains uncertainty in a real situation and then test how sensitive your conclusions are to assumptions. The work requires careful reasoning about probability and data limitations, especially when making recommendations. Writing clearly matters because your submission is judged as a research-style report. Mentorship and resources support the process, but decisions are yours to justify. The competition suits you if you are interested in how statistics inform finance, insurance, or policy choices.
10. ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE)
Location: ASEAN region (hosted by ASEAN Foundation in partnership with SAP)
Cost: Free to participate; SAP Analytics Cloud access provided
Program Dates: Competition cycle varies annually
Application Deadline: Registration window announced annually
Eligibility: Students aged 15–30 with ASEAN nationality; full-time students, including high school students; teams of two from the same ASEAN country
ASEAN Data Science Explorers frames data analysis around regional social issues. You and a partner choose a problem connected to development goals and use analytics tools to examine it from multiple angles. The focus stays on problem definition and insight rather than technical depth. Turning analysis into a storyboard forces you to think about structure and audience. Advancing through national rounds adds pressure to refine reasoning and presentation. The endorsement by regional institutions gives the work credibility within Southeast Asia.
11. CSAS Data Challenge
Location: New Haven, CT (final presentations at CSAS Conference; remote participation for submissions)
Cost: Free to participate; travel support provided to finalists; cash prizes for winners
Program Dates: September 13–January 15
Application Deadline: Participation registration by December 1; submission deadline January 15
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, or graduate students enrolled during the academic year; high school teams may include up to three students with faculty advisor support if all members are under 18
CSAS Data Challenge treats sports data as a serious research domain. You work with professional-scale baseball datasets and decide what question is worth answering before choosing methods. Reproducible analysis and clear explanation are required, not optional. Judges look for originality and whether conclusions are supported by evidence rather than by convention. Presenting at a professional conference exposes you to how statisticians communicate work in public settings. The challenge rewards careful thinking more than polished visuals.
12. LSESU Economics Society Economics Challenge
Location: Online (organized by the London School of Economics, UK)
Cost: Paid registration (exact fee varies by region)
Program Dates: January 9–January 10
Application Deadline: December 28
Eligibility: Grades 9–12 high school students worldwide
LSESU Economics Society runs this challenge as a timed test of applied reasoning. You work alone through questions that blend economics with statistics and quantitative logic. The difficulty comes from unfamiliar scenarios rather than obscure formulas. You are expected to interpret data quickly and choose appropriate reasoning paths under pressure. Recognition is certificate-based, but the association with an undergraduate economics society adds an institutional signal. It works best if you are comfortable thinking on your feet.
13. National High School Fed Challenge
Location: U.S. (organized by the Federal Reserve System)
Cost: Free
Program Dates: September–May
Application Deadline: February 17
Eligibility: Grades 9–12 high school students in the United States
The National High School Fed Challenge is built around research rather than speed. You and your team respond to a theme set by the Federal Reserve by designing an original economic investigation. Data interpretation, writing, and collaboration unfold over several months. Feedback and evaluation come from economists rather than teachers alone. Publication is treated as the primary outcome, which shifts attention toward clarity and argument quality. The experience gives you a look at how economic research connects to policy.
14. ASA Fall Data Challenge
Location: National (U.S.)
Cost: Free to enter; prizes include $50 Amazon gift card, complimentary ASA student memberships, and winner t-shirts
Program Dates: October–November (submission window varies by year)
Application Deadline: Typically early November (e.g., November 6)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12; teams of 2-5 students with a sponsor (teacher, professor, or parent)
The ASA Fall Data Challenge places you in a team setting that mirrors real statistical consulting work. You begin by exploring a complex, real-world dataset on a timely social issue, such as education equity, energy affordability, or public safety. You and your teammates must decide what questions are worth asking, then clean, analyze, and visualize the data to find evidence-based answers. The work culminates in a concise presentation (PowerPoint slides or a short video) where clarity matters as much as analytical depth. Judges look closely at how well your methods fit the problem, how thoughtfully you explain your findings, and whether your recommendations are grounded in the data.
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