ROSEMONT, Illinois — On the weekend of Saturday, April 25, Parkway High School joined 153 of the top quiz bowl teams from small public high schools at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago for the 2026 Small School National Championship Tournament to determine who was the best.

2026 Small School National Championship Tournament.

Congratulations to the champions:

  • the A team from Russell High School (Russell, Kentucky) in the Traditional Public Schools Division
  • the A team from Park Tudor School (Indianapolis, Indiana) in the Open Division
  • New Berlin Junior-Senior High School (New Berlin, Illinois) with the Very Small Schools title

Complete results for the 154 teams are available, as are the Traditional Public Schools Division playoff bracket and Open Division playoff bracket.

Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for teams of four students.  Quiz bowl teams use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture.  The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas.  Participation in quiz bowl both reinforces lessons from the classroom and encourages players to develop new intellectual interests.

The team, in the Traditional Public Schools Division, consisted of Charles Bennett, Freya Blount, Kara Fullenkamp, Logan Fullenkamp, Nicole Heitkamp, Trevor Heitkamp, Colin Ketchum, Wyatt Pancake, and Caleb Poe.  The team was coached by Maggie Houts and Anita Morton.

Parkway was one of 22 Ohio teams competing at the national championship.

Parkway finished the preliminary rounds with a 5-5 record.

Parkway High School played Evergreen from near home in round 1, defeating them 205-140.

There were some tense moments.  Parkway suffered a heartbreakingly narrow loss to Weaubleau from Missouri, 230-215 during round 7.  

Parkway’s shot at the playoffs ended when they lost to Macomb from Illinois in round 12.

Parkway High School finished in 43rd place in the Traditional Public Schools Division.  They also finished thirteenth among Very Small Schools teams.  

The Traditional Public Schools Division champion was the A team from Russell High School Russell, Kentucky.  The Open Division champion was the A team from Park Tudor School Indianapolis, Indiana.  

The 2026 Small School National Championship Tournament (Traditional Public Schools Division)’s field featured 88 teams from 21 states.

ABOUT NAQT
National Academic Quiz Tournaments, founded in 1996, organizes the premier middle school, high school, and college quiz bowl championships in North America.  In addition to its national championships, NAQT provides questions to invitational tournaments, league championships, and television shows throughout the year.  NAQT operates out of the Twin Cities and Kansas City, but its members mentor coaches, host tournaments, volunteer their services, and share their expertise across the United States.