Produced and broadcast by GBH, High School Quiz Show® is an Emmy award-winning single-elimination academic team competition for all high school students in Massachusetts.
High School Quiz Show is endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Massachusetts PTA. Questions are aligned with high school curriculum standards in subjects that include literature, history, civics, science, geography, math, and the arts, as well as current events, sports, and pop culture. High School Quiz Show is hosted by Joe Hanson.
Major funding for High School Quiz Show is provided by Safety Insurance. Additional funding is provided by the Museum of Science, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Xfinity, UMass Amherst, Peabody Essex Museum and Subaru of New England.
Frequently Asked Questions
All public, private, and parochial high schools in Massachusetts are eligible to participate in the competition. For more information about eligibility, click here.
Participating schools form teams based on their own criteria and selection process. It is strongly recommended that teams invite students of all gender identities.
All participants in the televised competition (coaches, primary team members and alternates) are responsible for reading and understanding the gameplay and rules found here.
Super Sunday, hosted by GBH in Brighton, Massachusetts, is the annual qualifying event for High School Quiz Show. Teams independently take a written quiz with the goal of securing a spot in the 16-team tournament bracket. Based on the final scores, there are then two ways to qualify for the televised competition:
1. Score among the top 15 teams for automatic placement in the tournament bracket.
2. Meet the criteria for the televised Wildcard match that determines the 16th and final team in the bracket.
For more information about Super Sunday and the qualification process, click here.
It is strongly recommended that teams and coaches watch past episodes of High School Quiz Show at highschoolquizshow.org and on our YouTube channel to become familiar with the format, pacing, and the types of questions featured in the competition. You can also watch our affiliate program in Maine .
There are a number of organizations that offer practice questions; however, their materials are not completely representative of the types of questions on High School Quiz Show. While GBH does not endorse any particular preparation materials or strategy, the following is a list of some of the organizations where you may find helpful resources:
Hsquizbowl.org
NAQT
Questions Unlimited
SCOP Study Sheets
HSQuizBowl.org is an online resource that includes a
list of local tournaments and competitions. This
Facebook Group (not affiliated with GBH) is for local Massachusetts high school quiz bowl advisors and coaches to connect and share ideas.
In addition to the title of High School Quiz Show State Champion, the winning team receives:
· A High School Quiz Show trophy
· Commemorative gold medals for each team member and coach
· A banner for the school
· An award of $1000 toward the team/school to be used in such a way as deemed most appropriate and beneficial by the school’s administrators.
The runner-up team receives:
· Commemorative silver medals for each team member and coach
· An award of $500 toward their team/school to be used in such a way as deemed most appropriate and beneficial by the school’s administrators.
All teams that participate in the televised competition receive a commemorative T-shirt.
The Season 16 Super Sunday qualifying event is November 17, 2024.
The High School Quiz Show Season 16 matches will be taped at GBH on the following dates in 2025:
Friday, January 24
Saturday, January 25
Sunday, January 26
Saturday, February 1
Weather backup dates: Sunday, February 2
Season 16 is scheduled to premiere at 6:00 pm EST on Saturday, February 3, 2025 on GBH2 and on our
YouTube channel.
All High School Quiz Show matches are open to the public and are taped in front of a live studio audience. Tickets and parking are free. Reservations are required. GBH is located at 1 Guest St. Boston, MA, 02135. Sign-up information will be available on the High School Quiz Show home page in November following the Season 16 bracket and team match-up announcement.
Full episodes of High School Quiz Show are available on highschoolquizshow.org, on our YouTube channel and on PBS Passport. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications when new episodes are posted!
Please send comments and questions to highschoolquizshow@GBH.org.