American Computer Science League (ACSL)
"ONE of the Oldest Computer Science Challenge with 48th years of History"
organizes computer programming and computer science contests for K-12 schools, organizations and local groups. The 2024 - 2025 school year will be our 48th year of continuous operation! Last year, over 8,000 students in United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia participated in regular season competitions.
ACSL Thailand 2025-2026: Official Pilot Launch
"Your Fast Track to the American Computer Science League Global Finals"
Overview Phi Connections, the authorized partner of the American Computer Science League (ACSL) in Thailand, invites students to join the 2025-2026 Season. This is a special "Pilot Launch" designed to fast-track Thai students directly into the global ranking system. Participate in standard contests, earn an official US transcript for your university portfolio, and compete for a spot at the All-Star Global Finals.
1. Why Join Now?
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Official US Transcript: Receive a verified score report from ACSL America to boost your college applications.
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Global Benchmarking: Measure your coding skills against students from the US, China, and Europe.
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Finals Qualification: High-scoring students will be invited to the Online All-Star Finals on May 24, 2026.
2. Competition Divisions
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Senior Division: Grades 10-12 (Experienced)
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Intermediate Division: Grades 7-9 (Advanced) or HS beginners
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Junior Division: Grades 6-9 (Beginners)
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Classroom Division: Open to all grades (Non-programming focus)
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Elementary Division: Grades 3-6 (Logic & Critical Thinking)
3. Team Structure: The "Top 3" Strategy We utilize the US Standard 3-Score System to maximize your chances:
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Roster: A team can have up to 5 students.
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Scoring: The "Team Score" is calculated from the sum of the top 3 scores in each contest.
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Advantage: This format provides a safety net. If a member misses a contest or scores lower, it won't hurt the team's ranking.
Elementary
Division
Open to students in grades 3 - 6.
Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 6-question non-programming test, focused on a single category of content. A different category will be tested on each contest.
Junior
Division
Best for junior high and middle school students who are learning programming or who have coding experience. No student beyond grade 9 may compete in the Junior Division.
Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 6-question short answer test and an online programming problem to solve in 72 hours.
Intermediate
Divison
Best for high school students with little or no programming experience and for advanced junior high students.
Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 6-question short answer test and an online programming problem to solve in 72 hours.
Senior
Division
Best for high school students with programming experience, especially those taking AP Computer Science.
Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 6-question short answer test and an online programming problem to solve in 72 hours.
Classroom
Division
Open to students in all grades. Ideally suited for students taking AP Computer Science Principles, and other computer science classes without a major programming component.
Each contest consists of an online 50-minute, 10-question short answer test. The problems are non-programming problems from the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior divisions.
4. Registration Options & Fees
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Option A: Pre-formed Team, MODE: ONLINE
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Form your own group of 3-5 friends.
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Best for strategy and teamwork.
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Fee : Elementary Division THB 6,000 / Team, Other Division THB 7,500 / Team
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Option B: Individual, MODE: ONLINE
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Apply solo. We will match you with other students to form a team, ensuring you are eligible for Team Awards.
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Best for strategy and teamwork.
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Fee : THB 2,500 / student
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5. Competition Timeline (Fast Track)
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Registration Closes:
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Elementary and Classroom Division - February 1st, 2026
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Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Divisions - January 7th, 2026
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Regular Season (4 Rounds): January – April 2026
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Round #1:
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Elementary and Classroom Division - February 15th, 2026 (Sun)
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Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Divisions - January 11th, 2026 (Sun)
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Round #2: All Division - February 28th, 2026 (Sat)
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Round #3: All Division - March 28th, 2026 (Sat)
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Round #4: All Division - April 26th, 2026 (Sun)
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Global Finals: Sunday, May 24, 2026 (Invited Qualifiers Only)
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Based on the scores during the regular season, top students in all divisions will be invited to participate in an online Finals competition:
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Invitations E-mailed: May 1, 2026 through May 21, 2026
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Invitational Finals: Saturday, May 23, 2026 (Memorial Day weekend in the United States)
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There is a nominal per-student registration fee to participate in the Finals.
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6. Awards & Recognition (Pilot Year Policy) For this 2025-2026 season, the focus is on International Accreditation:
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Official ACSL Certificates: At the conclusion of the regular season, ACSL will send a certificate to the top scoring students in each division in each country, and to the top scoring teams in each division in each country.
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For the ACSL Finals, the top scoring students in each division will get a prize and a certificate. The certificates will be mailed to the team for distribution to students; the prize will be sent directly to the student.
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Global Leaderboard: Top performers listed on the official ACSL.org website.
The topics that are covered in ACSL Round 1-4
Each Topics linked to the page of the ACSL Wiki
A great set of 21 YouTube video lessons covering the ACSL topics
Student Guideline: PDF