Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Save the Date
Registration Opens: December 1, 2026
Football Player Performance Predictions
The Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative, in conjunction with Wharton Global Youth, is excited to host the Wharton High School Data Science Competition. Using simulated American football data, teams of high school students will create rankings, predict player outcomes, and explore football performance stats.
This free competition offers students the opportunity to develop data science, teamwork, and problem-solving skills through the lens of sports analytics.
Sign up for our interest list to receive updates and early information.
Important Dates
Reasons to Compete
Participating in the Wharton High School Data Science Competition is a fantastic way to develop your data analysis and prediction skills through the lens of sports, all while having fun with your friends. The experience and problem-solving skills you develop through this competition are applicable to your everyday life outside of sports analytics.
Additionally, teams that perform the best will be recognized on the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative’s website, which could be a great addition to your resume.
How it Works
Who Is Eligible?
This competition is open to high school students worldwide. “High school” is typically secondary-level (no younger than 14, no older than 18 at the start of the competition), pre-university education, as defined by country (e.g., generally 9th – 12th grade in the United States). We suggest participants have completed Algebra 1. There is no cost to participate.
Get Your Team Ready
Each team should have 3-5 students who are currently enrolled at the same high school. Teams are required to have one Advisor, who is an employee of the school or school district the team attends. If the high school has various branches, teams must be composed of students and an Advisor from the same branch.
*In order to comply with privacy rules, each team must designate a Student Team Leader who is age 16 years or older.
Register
Registration will open on December 1, 2026. Advisors are responsible for registering their team(s) and the Student Team Leader will be added to the application as a Collaborator during registration. Students are NOT permitted to register for the competition on their own behalf or on behalf of their team. Teams in violation of this rule will be ineligible to compete.
Analyze
Data will be released to participants in early February. Along the way, we will share videos and other educational resources to help you with this part of the competition.
Questions?
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
If you’re a high school student or teacher seeking additional learning opportunities, please visit the Wharton Global Youth Program to discover the wide range of opportunities designed to educate and motivate pre-collegiate students.
Meet the 2026 Winning Team
Learn from the 2026 Wharton High School Data Science Competition winning team — 2016 Chino Hills from the Pingry School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
See how they translated data into actionable insights and communicated their findings to judges.
Partner with Us:
Sponsorship Opportunities
Download our sponsorship deck here to explore opportunities for visibility and engagement.
To learn more, contact Tania Rorke, Senior Associate Director of Corporate & Donor Engagement.
Wharton thanks Goldman Sachs Gives for its generous support of the High School Data Science Competition.
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