12 Math Competitions for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Apr 21
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 28
If you're a middle schooler that enjoys solving problems and exploring concepts in math outside the classroom, math competitions can be a great way to challenge yourself. These events often include puzzles and questions that go beyond what you see in class, and many let you team up with other students to solve them. Many of the math competitions hosted for high schoolers (such as the ones below) are low-cost or free and are a good way to try out something new before getting into more intensive research programs or internships in the field.
Taking part in competitions also helps you build useful skills like working in teams, staying focused under time pressure, and thinking creatively. You might even meet students and mentors who share your interest in math!
To make it easier to find the right one, we pulled together a list of 12 math competitions for middle school students!
12 Math Competitions for Middle School Students
The AMC 8 is a popular math competition for middle school students, offering a fun challenge to test your problem-solving skills beyond the classroom. With 25 questions and 40 minutes on the clock, the competition dives into topics like counting, probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, and geometry.Â
As you progress, you’ll also tackle basic algebra, linear and quadratic functions, and coordinate geometry. If you enjoy the AMC 8, you may want to consider continuing with the AMC 10 and AMC 12 in future years to challenge your mathematical skills.
Location: In-person at test centers!
Application Deadline: January 15
Competition Dates: January 22–28
Eligibility: Middle school students, typically in grades 6–8, though younger students may also participate.
The Pi Math Contest – Fermat is an exciting math competition for middle school students (grades 6-8) that lets you put your math skills to the test. With 25 multiple-choice questions, each requiring a two-digit answer, you’ll have 40 minutes to solve them. Whether you choose to compete online or in person, the contest provides a fun way to challenge yourself and see how you compare to others. Not only will you earn recognition for your performance, but you’ll also gain experience tackling a variety of math problems.Â
Location: Virtual or in-person across the U.S.
Cost: None
Application Deadline: March 20
Competition Dates: In-Person: March 8–16 | Online: March 17–23
Eligibility: Middle school students, typically in grades 6–8, though younger students may also participate.
MOEMS (Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools) is a well-established math competition that engages over 120,000 students from across the U.S. and 39 other countries. It offers monthly contests designed for both elementary and middle school students.Â
The competition spans five months, from November to March, with each month’s contest consisting of five challenging questions, which include topics like number theory, geometry, and combinatorics. You can participate individually or as part of a team, with up to 35 students per team.Â
Location: Virtual or in person
Application Deadline: Rolling
Competition Dates: 5 contests each year from November to March.
Eligibility: Middle school and elementary school students can participate.
MATHCOUNTS is a national math competition for middle school students. It has four levels: school, chapter, state, and national. The competition includes four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown.Â
The Sprint round tests how quickly you can solve problems. The Target round focuses on solving tough problems under time pressure. In the Team round, you’ll work with others to solve problems together. The Countdown round is a fast-paced, head-to-head competition. As you perform well, you advance to the next level, with top students moving to the national stage.
Location: In person
Application Deadline: December 16; Apply here!Â
Eligibility: Middle school students in grades 6–8 can participate.
The Noetic Learning Math Contest (NLMC) is a semiannual competition for elementary and middle school students. It focuses on developing problem-solving skills, which are key for mastering math and preparing for more advanced STEM topics. The contest gives you 45 minutes (50 minutes online) to solve 20 math problems independently without using a calculator. It is available in both paper-pencil and online formats, allowing you to choose how you want to participate.
Location: In person or Online
Application Deadline: Rolling!
Eligibility: Middle school and elementary school students can participate.
The Math League middle school program organizes a series of contests throughout the year, ending with a National Championship in the U.S. and select other countries. These contests help you sharpen your problem-solving abilities and prepare for competitions like MATHCOUNTS. Top scorers from the qualifying rounds can advance to the State or National Championship. If you do well at the State level, you may be invited to compete in the US National Middle School Championship.
Location: In-person or online
Cost: $30
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Middle school students can participate.
The NorthSouth Math Bee is a math competition that allows middle school students to challenge themselves and enhance their math skills. It is divided into three levels: MB1 for grades 1–3, MB2 for grades 4–5, and MB3 for grades 6–8.Â
The competition has both regional and national components, with top students advancing to the National Finals for a chance to earn scholarships. In addition to the competition, NorthSouth provides workshops to help students prepare for the regional contests and other events like the Scripps Spelling Bee and MATHCOUNTS.
Location: In-person or online
Cost: $30
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Middle school students can participate.
The International Math Contest is a 30-minute online challenge that lets you dive into math problems drawn from top curricula around the world. The contest includes topics like algebra, number theory, combinatorics, and geometry, all designed to make you think critically and apply your skills in new ways.Â
Over 20,000 students from all over the globe register for the contest each year, and it acts as a qualifier for the bigger competition. Round 2 is for more advanced participants and pushes you to solve complex problems, similar to those found in the European Mathematical Olympiads.
Location: Online for the qualifier. In person and online options for the second round.
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Open registration
Competition Dates: IMC Round 2 will be held in the second week of April.
Eligibility: Middle school students can participate.
The Trinity School Math Team runs the TrinMaC Virtual competition, where you get to solve challenging math problems with other students from around the world. You’ll tackle questions that cover algebra, geometry, logic, and more, all in a team format. The competition is free and gives you a chance to work through problems with others, improve your problem-solving skills, and be part of a larger math community.
Location: OnlineÂ
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 2
Competition Dates: February 24 — March 3
Eligibility: Middle school students can participate.
The Acton-Boxborough Math Competition (ABMC) is a fun math contest that invites students in Massachusetts, from elementary through middle school, to test their problem-solving skills. It kicks off with three online contests in the fall and then wraps up with an in-person competition in April. You can participate solo or as part of a small team of 2–4 students, making it a flexible option for different types of learners. During the competition, you’ll work on a variety of math challenges with the chance to win prizes like free math classes, calculators, and other useful tools.
Location: In-person and online
Cost: $20 per person (if pre-registering online), $25 (registration onsite without prior notice)
Application Deadline: Unspecified. Check here for updates.Â
Competition Dates: April 5
Eligibility: Any Massachusetts student in grade 8 or below .
The Evergreen Valley Math Tournament (EVMT) is a math competition open to local elementary and middle school students in grades 5 through 8. It’s designed to show you that math is more than just memorization; it's about creativity, problem-solving, and fun challenges.Â
The event brings together students from the Evergreen area, providing a chance to compete and connect with others who share your interest in math. The tournament helps develop your math skills while offering a supportive, engaging environment. The organizing team, inspired by their own experiences with math contests, works to make this a positive and exciting event for all participants.
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Unspecified. Register here!
Competition Dates: April 20
Eligibility: Any student in 5th — 8th grade can participate.
The Orange Mathematics Competition (OMC) 8 is a mock version of the AMC 8, tailored for 8th grade and below. It offers you a chance to challenge yourself with a range of problems crafted by volunteers who have experience in competition math.Â
Throughout the event, you'll also get the opportunity to hear from experienced competitors as they walk through some of the tougher questions, giving you new problem-solving insights. At the end, an awards ceremony will recognize the top performers.Â
Location: Online
Cost: $10 until January 5 | $15 after January 5
Application Deadline: Unspecified. More details here.
Competition Dates: January 19
Eligibility: Any student below 8th grade can participate.
Bonus  - Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program offers middle school students an 8-week opportunity to work closely with a mentor and explore academic interests in depth. Mentors in the program come from top research universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and others. During the first four weeks, you’ll explore four different topics within your chosen area of interest.
In weeks 5 and 6, you’ll focus more closely on one topic, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding. The final two weeks are dedicated to developing a project related to the topic, with your mentor providing guidance as you work on bringing your idea to life. This program is designed to help you engage with new areas of study while developing important research and project-building skills. You can find the application form here.
Location: Virtual
Cost:Â $1990 (Financial aid is available)
Program Dates: Summer: June - August, fall: September - December, winter: December - February, spring: March - June.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. The Summer Cohort I application deadline is April 13!
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 can apply.
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual learning experience designed for middle school students, focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you’ll learn the basics of Python programming and explore topics such as data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics.Â
The program includes lectures and group sessions, with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. Past student projects have included creating a machine-learning model to classify music genres and developing an algorithm to recommend personalized educational resources. This program offers a practical introduction to the world of AI.
Location: Online
Cost:Â $1,790. Need-based financial aid is available
Application deadline:Â Rolling deadlines.
Program dates:Â 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 can participate.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source - American Mathematics Competition Logo