13 Fall Debate Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 5 hours ago
- 7 min read
Middle school is a good time to strengthen your public speaking skills and explore your interests. If you’re curious about debate, enrolling in a fall program can be a good way to practice public speaking and develop your persuasion skills. As a participant, you’ll engage in rounds of competition, meet other debaters, and gain experience that will look strong on applications when you become eligible for high-school debate leagues.
Several established organizations and schools host fall debate programs for middle school students. Being involved in such a program offers networking opportunities and access to experienced instructors. We’ve curated a list of 13 fall debate programs for middle school students based on their rigor, reputation, networking prospects, and selectivity. Some programs included are not traditional fall debate programs, but clubs, camps, public speaking programs, or activities that help you develop similar skills.
13 Fall Debate Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost
Dates: Available year-round
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The DebateDrills Academy offers multiple free, self-paced debate education courses for middle schoolers. Through the resources provided by the academy, you can learn skills otherwise only accessible through a residential debate camp or an institutional program. The introductory series of courses, taught by professionals and former champions, covers foundational debate concepts through video classes, drill sets, quizzes, and evidence packets. Courses available include: Topic Analyses & Evidence, Debate Foundations & All Events, CX & LD Debate, PF Debate, Traditional Debate, and Round Analyses.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $300 | $380 for the advanced club
Dates: September 13 – November 15 or September 15 – November 19 | September 17 – November 19
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
DebateAble Online Clubs are designed for middle schoolers interested in learning debate skills like critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork. It includes hourly sessions where you’ll learn cross-examination and refutation skills, play engaging games, participate in activities, and attend a final capstone event. If you participate in the advanced club, you’ll explore multiple formats with a focus on Public Forum Debate. You will also participate in the NW Forensics League's fall tournament at the end of the program.
Location: Online and in-person options available
Cost: $1,695 for twice-a-week online classes | $1,895 for twice-a-week in-person classes
Dates: August 18 to December 19
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Golden State Academy offers year-round debate and speech programs for interested middle school students. You can choose from levels including new beginner competitive, returning beginner competitive, and experienced. Throughout the program, you will participate in virtual guided lectures and events, including NSDA and CHSSA-approved Impromptu and Oratorical Interpretation events. Additionally, you will have chances to perform and debate in competitions throughout the semester. You will also learn the Lincoln-Douglas format in the first half through lectures and competitions, before finishing the semester with Public Forum.
Location: Virtual or in-person in Cupertino, CA
Cost: $3,247 in person | $2,445 online
Dates: Multiple sessions available
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Young Genius National Speech and Debate Academy offers school-year debate classes to help middle and high school students improve their speech and debate skills. The program focuses on developing critical thinking, communication, and argumentation skills. There are multiple program options for middle school students, each focusing on a different debate format, including Congressional Debate, Spontaneous Speech, Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and all speech formats.
Location: Online and in-person options available
Cost: $1,395
Dates: August 24 to January 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students. Experienced Speech and Debate requires one year of experience or more.
Through the Athens Debate Academy classes for middle school students, you will learn Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Congressional Debate, SPAR Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Impromptu, Oratory, and Declamation. Throughout, you’ll learn case writing, research, communication, and public speaking through interactive sessions. You'll also take part in tournaments. The core class lasts two hours each week, complemented by optional practice lessons, electives, and booster sessions before tournaments.
Location: In-person classes in Fort Lee, Glen Rock, and Livingston, NJ
Cost: $2,050
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: August 30
Eligibility: Middle school students
Bergen Debate Club’s debate and public speaking classes for middle school students offer lessons in public speaking, debate, and critical thinking. Typically, classes are 45 minutes of public speaking practice/drills, 1 hour of debate lecture/practice/activities, and 15 minutes of critical thinking games. Every few weeks, you engage in two hours of in-class debates. You either begin in Level 1A or 2A and move through the levels each semester as you progress. At every level, you learn through new material, drills, and concepts. You must be at least Level 2B to join the Travel Team; i.e., you must have a year of experience. As part of the travel team, you compete at state and national-level tournaments, including Georgetown, Harvard, and the Tournament of Champions.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $495
Dates: September 20 to November 15
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The American Debate League offers a live virtual debate programme for middle school students. You will enhance your public speaking abilities, learn to craft compelling arguments, work with peers on the debate team, and develop essential skills for future interviews, presentations, and leadership roles. Each class includes instruction, practice, and real-time feedback. Finally, the program includes a Virtual Tournament during the final week of the session. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for the Harvard National Speech & Debate Tournament.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $260
Dates: September 21 to November 23
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Ages 10 and up, no prior debate experience required
Richmond Debate Institute offers the virtual club teams program for the fall semester for interested middle schoolers. You’ll join the weekly online team workshop to learn core debate skills, collaborate with teammates, and prepare for the final debate tournament. Taught by RDI coaches, you will build arguments, practice public speaking, and learn how to debate both sides of an issue. You will also receive assignments, and complete participation is expected to compete at the final tournament.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $160
Dates: Multiple year-round sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students aged 9 – 14
The Debate and Public Speaking Camp is a two-month live group course for middle schoolers to develop public speaking and debate skills. The course features eight one-hour sessions with interactive lectures and practice speeches where you will learn how to write and deliver speeches, build arguments, and refine your delivery skills. The program's key emphasis is practical learning sessions with consistent feedback. You will receive a weekly written feedback report on each submitted speech by the instructor, along with peer feedback.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,199
Dates: September 9 to November 2
Application Deadline: August 28
Eligibility: Middle school students
Capitol Debate offers the Club Debate League for middle school students, an 8- to 9-week program designed to teach debate and speech. You will join weekly virtual practice sessions and take part in two weekend tournaments. The schedule is adaptable, with small class sizes to provide individual attention. Furthermore, you can attend one-hour weekly mastery sessions focused on specializations.
Location: Virtual and in-person classes available
Cost: $1,050
Dates: Multiple year-round sessions available
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
Potomac Debate Academy offers classes in debate and public speaking for middle school students. The structure is customised to the student’s level. The focus is on fundamental debate skills appropriate to the course level to help you begin your debating journey. You will participate in speaking exercises and mock debates, learn to conduct research and write cases, and improve public speaking skills by working on a globally relevant debate topic. Most students begin with Novice Level 1 and progress to Junior Varsity, Varsity, and Varsity+, each based on their experience in debating with the academy.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Not specified
Dates: Workshop: September 20. Fall Friendship Scramble: October 18. Holiday Tournament: December 6.
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
Orange County Debate League (OCDL) is a non-profit organisation that offers resources and opportunities for middle school students interested in learning debate. The institution hosts five middle school tournaments annually. The website provides resources and modules to enhance your knowledge and support training. The topics for the Holiday Tournament are: ‘California should (have/have not) passed Proposition 50’, and ‘The US President has too much power’.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $500
Dates: 6 weeks in the fall
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Denver Debate Club provides debate classes throughout the academic year, designed for middle school students based on their experience level. Participants attend small classes of about 12 students. The curriculum includes sections on public speaking, debate, and critical thinking. You'll improve skills in persuasion, argument building, and research, while also sharpening your critical thinking through puzzles and trivia. Weekly homework helps monitor your progress, and the leadership team will provide a final report at the end of the program.
One more option—The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure! To learn more, you can reach out to our Director, Dhruva, at dhruva.bhat@lumiere.education, or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year. You can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the upcoming cohorts + deadlines, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. 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.
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