American Computer Science League (ACSL)

About ACSL

ACSL is an international competition that challenges students to engage in computer science problems.
There are 4 local contests held throughout the school year. Each contest includes 6-question test and 1 coding test. The contest topics are listed in https://www.acsl.org/get-started/study-materials. Note that Elementary Division is only theory and no coding questions.

- 6-question test — 30 minutes to complete. Multiple choice, one correct answer per question.
- 1 coding test — 72 hours to complete. Allowed languages: Python, C++, or Java.

All contests will be given through an online platform, HackerRank. The student's email used during registration will receive the test link and must be used to access the test. Students will do the tests at home under parent supervision. Top-scoring students will be invited to the ACSL Final in May. For further information, visit https://www.acsl.org, check out FAQ at https://www.acsl.org/about/faq or watch this video "All About the ACSL."
The study resources for the contest are available at https://www.acsl.org/get-started/study-materials. Additionally, here is a good free online course: https://www.richcode.org/contests/acsl/lesson.
Team advisors will handle student registration and send reminders before each contest. However, students are responsible for studying the material on their own, as advisors will not provide instruction.
While students are encouraged to form study groups to review past papers, all season tests must be completed individually. Please note that some student programs were flagged for plagiarism by HackerRank last year. Here are ACSL guidelines: https://www.acsl.org/about/faq#h.cyyuwibm0h7v
If you have any questions, please contact the Hopkins ACSL advisors at acsl@hopkinspfa.org with student’s name, division and team number.

Hopkins ACSL Team

At Hopkins, students can participate in one of three divisions—Intermediate, Junior, or Elementary. Each team will have 12 students and will be registered in the order that enrollment and payment are confirmed. Team scores don’t affect a student’s individual performance or their chances into the ACSL Final contest.
1. Intermediate Division
  - Open to students in grades 6-8
  - Includes a 6-question test and 1 coding test for each contest
  - Recommended for experienced ACSL participants with strong coding skills
2. Junior Division
  - Open to students in grades 6-8
  - Includes a 6-question test and 1 coding test for each contest
  - Recommended for new ACSL participants who just have coding
3. Elementary Division
  - Open only to 6th-grade students who are new to ACSL and looking to explore computer science in a supportive environment
  - Includes a 6-question test for each contest (no coding test)

Registration is open to incoming 4th and 5th grade students from the Mission Attendance Area or Immersion programs, allowing younger siblings to join early.

For a full overview of all divisions and their requirements, please visit the ACSL Divisions page: https://www.acsl.org/get-started/divisions.

Registration

Registration Form: https://forms.gle/jqiZT8hDfjoWAFht9
Enrollment deadline: Sep 30, 2025
The local contest fee is $15 per student. Students will take all of the contests online so there is no transportation needed. No other hidden fee shall be collected.

Payment via Hopkins PFA Paypal https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/7Q45CC4M4NX7J with a memo including ACSL with the student’s name and grade (e.g. ACSL, Amy Lin, G7). Fee is non-refundable.
Please take a screenshot of your payment and email it to acsl-fee@hopkinspfa.org (Note: Do not send it to acsl@hopkinspfa.org)

The collected fees will be used to register the teams, and to purchase past contest materials to share with registered students. All study materials will be shared with Hopkins Teams through Google Drive using students' personal email accounts.
The purchased materials will be shared after the payment is confirmed. Hence we encourage early enrollment. The team advisor will register the students at ACSL after the enrollment is closed on Sep 30, 2025.

Communication with Google Groups

This school year, we will use Google Groups for team communication instead of WhatsApp to reduce distractions, keep conversations organized, and make it easier to find answers to frequently asked questions. Here is the tutorial how to create & respond to messages in Google Groups.
We will add all registered students and parents into the Google Group based on division for team communication and past paper sharing.
If your child's Gmail account was created as an under-13 account using Family Link, we won’t be able to add them to Google Groups due to Google’s policy restrictions.
Instead, only parents will be added to the Google Groups. Please make sure to share or forward any team communications with your child.

Schedule

Tests will be conducted at home under parent supervision. Students can access HackerRank anytime during the designated ACSL time windows at https://www.acsl.org/get-started/schedule.

Contest #1: starts on Oct. 20, 2025; closes Sunday January 11, 2026 @ 8:59pm PST
Contest #2: starts on Jan. 5, 2026; closes Sunday March 1, 2026 @ 8:59pm PST
Contest #3: starts on Feb. 2, 2026; closes Sunday April 12, 2026 @ 8:59pm PST
Contest #4: starts on March 2, 2026; closes Sunday May 17, 2026 @ 8:59pm PST

Appendix: ACSL Final

Final Contest: Saturday May 23, 2026 (Memorial Day weekend). The date and time are fixed. The final contest fee is $35 per student. The qualified students will receive the invitation with the instruction to pay the fee to ACSL directly.

It’s an invited contest. To be invited, students must score in local tests at least 28 points (Junior and Intermediate Divisions); 14 points (Elementary Division).
The ACSL Final will be online, using HackerRank that students have used during the regular season. All students worldwide will start and finish at the same time.

ACSL Final is an individual competition. Students must not consult external sources. If collaboration of any form is detected, the student will be disqualified.

Visit https://www.acsl.org/finals for further information.

Hopkins ACSL (2024-2025)

There were 114 Hopkins students have enrolled, forming 7 Junior teams and 3 Elementary teams.
37 students participated in the finals. Saathvik Srinivasan (G7) won bronze medal in Junior Division. Nikhil Iyer (G6) won the Gold Prize and Sophia Reina (G6) won the Bronze Prize in Elementary Division.
Several students also received First Place certificates for their achievements in the seasonal contests.
- Junior Division: Sohum nama (G7), Anshika Vommi (G6), Ritvik Maddipatla (G6).
- Elementary Division: Ariv Narula (G6), Kavya Shieh (G6), Nikhil Iyer (G6).

Hopkins ACSL (2023-2024)

There were 94 Hopkins students participated in 2 Intermediate, 6 Junior and 1 Elementary teams.
Several of the students made it to the finals. Aditya Ghate (G6) and Eashan Parekh (G7) won bronze medal in Junior Division.

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