Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) are pleased to announce details for the third annual Academic Showdown (Showdown). This year, 90 teams from 50 high schools representing 31 counties are registered to participate. The Showdown is an academic head-to-head competition testing students’ knowledge in subject areas including math, history, sports, fine arts and more.
Regional partners will host local double elimination competitions during the next three months. The Showdown is among the largest high school academic match-ups in the country using questions from the National Academic Quiz Tournament. The top two teams from each region will advance to the finale at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston on Tues., April 23, 2024.
The field of competitors continues to increase exponentially with 21 teams in the first year, 71 teams in year two and 90 teams this year. Students in grades 9 -12 may participate, and schools may enter up to two teams to compete. Specific regional information will be released prior to each event.
An asterisk (*) denotes the winning teams from each regional competition.
Marshall University Regional, Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington HS Team 1* | vs. | Point Pleasant HS Team 1 |
| 2 | Spring Valley HS Team 1 | vs. | Winfield HS Team 2 |
| 3 | Spring Valley HS Team 2 | vs. | Wahama HS Team 1 |
| 4 | Hurricane HS Team 2 | vs. | Wayne HS Team 2 |
| 5 | Wayne HS Team 1 | vs. | Point Pleasant HS Team 2 |
| 6 | Winfield HS Team 1* | vs. | Huntington HS Team 2 |
Shepherd University Regional
Saturday, April 12, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankfort HS Team 1 | vs. | Musselman HS |
| 2 | Frankfort HS Team 2 | vs. | Berkeley Springs HS Team 2 |
| 3 | Petersburg HS | vs. | Hampshire HS Team 2 |
| 4 | Spring Mills HS Team 2* | vs. | Berkeley Springs HS Team 1 |
West Virginia University Regional
Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Marshall HS | vs. | Brooke HS Team 2 |
| 2 | University HS Team 2 | vs. | Brooke HS Team 1 |
| 3 | Morgantown HS Team 1* | vs. | University HS Team 1 |
| 4 | Morgantown HS Team 2* | vs. | Doddridge County HS |
West Virginia State University Regional
Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poca HS Team 1 | vs. | George Washington HS Team 1* |
| 2 | Ripley HS Team 2 | vs. | Charleston Catholic HS Team 1 |
| 3 | Charleston Catholic HS Team 2 | vs. | Ripley HS Team 1 |
| 4 | George Washington HS Team 2 | vs. | Saint Albans HS |
| 5 | Buffalo HS* | vs. | Sissonville HS Team 2 |
| 6 | Sissonville HS Team 1 | vs. | Poca HS Team 2 |
Fairmont State University Regional
Friday, March 8, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weir HS Team 1 | vs. | No Competitor |
| 2 | Weir HS Team 2 | vs. | Bridgeport HS Team 2* |
| 3 | Williamstown HS Team 1 | vs. | Paden City HS Team 1 |
| 4 | Grafton HS Team 2 | vs. | Lewis County HS Team 2 |
| 5 | Liberty HS Team 1 | vs. | Paden City HS Team 2 |
| 6 | Grafton HS Team 1* | vs. | Lewis County HS Team 1 |
| 7 | Braxton County HS | vs. | Bridgeport HS Team 1 |
Concord University Regional
Saturday, March 16, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PikeView HS Team 1 | vs. | James Monroe HS Team 2 |
| 2 | James Monroe HS Team 1* | vs. | Greenbrier West HS Team 2 |
| 3 | Greenbrier West HS Team 1 | vs. | Greenbrier East HS Team 2 |
| 4 | PikeView HS Team 2 | vs. | Bluefield HS* |
| 5 | Mingo Central HS Team 1 | vs. | Summers Co. HS |
| 6 | Princeton Senior High School | vs. | Greenbrier East High School Team 1 |
| BYE | Mingo Central High School Team 2 | vs. | No Competitor |
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College/Logan Regional
Saturday, March 23, 2024, 9 a.m.
| Round 1 | Team Name | vs. | Team Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott HS Team 2 | vs. | Sherman HS Team 1 |
| 2 | Westside HS Team 1* | vs. | Shady Spring HS Team 2 |
| 3 | Wyoming East HS Team 2 | vs. | Tug Valley HS Team 2 |
| 4 | Westside HS Team 2 | vs. | Wheeling Park HS Team 1* |
| 5 | Wheeling Park HS Team 2 | vs. | Logan HS Team 1 |
| 6 | Wyoming East HS Team 1 | vs. | Logan HS Team2 |
| 7 | Scott HS Team 1 | vs. | Shady Spring HS Team 1 |
| 8 | Sherman HS Team 2 | vs. | Tug Valley Team 1 |
Finale – West Virginia Culture Center, Charleston
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 9 a.m.
Media
Media may conduct interviews and capture footage before the event from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Once the competition begins, video and audio recordings are prohibited to prevent public circulation of questions ahead of other regional competitions. Media may return after each regional competition to interview winning teams.
About Academic Showdown
The Academic Showdown is a partnership between the WVDE, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC), West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.
Learn more about the Academic Showdown by visiting the Academic Showdown page.
Media Contacts:
Christy Day, WVDE Office of Communications, 304-558-2699 or Christy.Day@k12.wv.us
Jessica Tice, WVHEPC Office of Communications, 304-545-9412 or Jessica.Tice@wvhepc.edu.
