1. Applicants must be MATHCOUNTS Alumni

MATHCOUNTS alumni are students who participated in the National Math Club, Math Video Challenge or MATHCOUNTS Competition Series (school, chapter, state or national level) when they were in grades 6-8.

2. Applicants must be in high school or college as of September 2024.

• High school students are in grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 as of September 2024.
• College students are pursuing a 2- or 4-year degree at an accredited community college, college or university as of September 2024.

Coaching a MATHCOUNTS team is fun and meaningful, but it is also a year-round commitment. Ensure you have a plan to visit the school regularly and support your team.

The role of a MATHCOUNTS coach is to:

• ensure the school gets registered
• hold regular team practices to prepare the students
• provide logistical and personal support to the team during competition season

Click here to learn more about coaching

For you to be eligible for this scholarship, the school where you start and coach a MATHCOUNTS team must meet the following criteria for the 2024-25 school year:

• Is a US-based public, charter or private school that serves students in grades 6-8.
• Receives school-wide Title I funding or 50% or more of the students are Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx or Native American/Indigenous.
• Has never competed in the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series or hasn't participated since the 2020-2021 school year.

If you are unsure if a school is participating in MATHCOUNTS, please use this webform to confirm with the MATHCOUNTS National Office.

If you have a personal connection to an underserved school, we recommend reaching out to them! If you don't have one in mind, you can do some research to find one:

1. Visit the National Center for Education Statistics search page.
2. Enter your ZIP Code.
3. Adjust the distance from ZIP Code as needed to view more schools.
4. Look for schools that serve students in grades 6, 7 and/or 8.
5. Determine based on a school's statistics whether it is underserved. MATHCOUNTS considers a school underserved if 40% or more of its students receive free or reduced lunch or if 50% or more of its students are Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx or Native American/Indigenous. You may need to click on the "More Information" link at the top of the school's page to see all statistics.
6. Complete this webform with three schools' information so the MATHCOUNTS staff can determine if they are currently participating in MATHCOUNTS (or haven't in the past three years).

There is no official requirement that you contact and get confirmation from your chosen school before applying, but it’s highly recommended. It will be easier to initially get in touch with the school during the school year than in the summer. If you’re chosen as a finalist in late June, we’ll need confirmation from your chosen school before advancing you to the second round of review. Contacting the school before applying will also help you answer the following question in the application: “Please describe your plan, as well as any preparations you’ve already made (research, conversations with the school or other educators, etc.) to ensure you would be successful in starting a MATHCOUNTS program at an underserved school near you.”

Successfully getting a school to approve the plan to start a MATHCOUNTS team is consistently one of the most difficult barriers for Community Coaches. We recommend getting started early and not giving up! Here are our biggest pieces of advice:

• In general, community coaches have had quicker success reaching out to a school where they already have a contact or is in the same school district as them. We know this isn't possible for everyone, though, and have had many successful coaches who made a connection just by reaching out!
• Reach out to both the principal and a math teacher or math department head (their contact information is likely listed on their website).
• Use our email template and program one-pager to introduce them to MATHCOUNTS.
• After emailing a few times, if there is no response, try calling the school during school hours.
• Try asking your math teacher or school counselor to reach out vouching for you, especially if they have a connection to the school where you're interested in coaching.
• Get an email confirmation from the school principal approving your plan before the 2023-2024 school year ends so it's ready to send to MATHCOUNTS if we ask for it.

If you truly have the time and capacity to coach at more than one school, especially if you're coaching with other people, you are free to explore that option. However, MATHCOUNTS will only be able to provide the free registration, OPLET subscription and MATHCOUNTS Store gift card to one school.

Yes, as long as it meets the eligibility requirements. Please email [email protected] to update us with your new plans. If you are announced as a finalist in late June, we will need confirmation from this new school before advancing you to the final round of review.

Each applicant must apply as an individual. Different members of the same coaching team are welcome to apply, but each will be judged on their individual application.

Email us at [email protected].