Academic Team is a team of 8th grade students who compete against other junior high Chicagoland schools in academic competition. Students are chosen from the 8th grade after taking a test, which is a match from a former competition. The top ten achieving students on this test are invited to the team.
The students practice twice a week throughout the year and are invited to various competitions at Chicagoland high schools. They also compete in online competitions throughout the Midwest.
The format of the meets are based on toss-up and bonus questions from the curriculum areas of history, literature, science, sports, and pop culture. Participants benefit from exposure to a broad range of school and cultural subjects, memorization and study skills, and an improved ability to cooperate and work in teams.