Think back to October 2024, when Oregon and Ohio State were battling it out on the football field. Oregon came out on top with a 32–31 win, moving up to second place in the Big 10 Conference. It’s always fun to see teams so close in the rankings, and we have a little of that same competition happening in the world of educational competitions.

Keep in mind that races to the top aren’t limited to football teams. In 2025, Woodbridge High School in California won its fourth consecutive Orange County Academic Decathlon championship. After losing five seniors to graduation and facing increased competition across the county, Woodbridge defended its title by the narrowest margin it had seen in years. Just like in sports, educational competitions can come down to a close finish!  

Let’s take a look at how high schools are lining up on the Technical Writing Leaderboard, based on four combined years of historical data. We’ll introduce you to 10 schools featured among the leaderboard’s top point totals in this badge category.

Technical Writing: Top 10 High Schools

1. Adlai E. Stevenson High School (IL) – 2,360 points 
2. St. Johns Country Day School (FL) – 1,200 points (tied)
3. Sprayberry High School (GA) – 1,200 points (tied)
4. Santa Teresa High (CA) – 1,180 points
5. Jesuit High School (CA) – 1,000 points
6. St. Margaret’s Episcopal School (CA) – 800 points (tied)
7. Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) – 800 points (tied)
8. Wesleyan Academy – 800 points (tied)
9. Manuel Mendez Liciaga – 800 points (tied)
10. Grace Lutheran (ID) – 800 points (tied)

While Adlai E. Stevenson High School is taking a sizable lead with 2,360 points, the race for second place is heating up. St. Johns Country Day School and Sprayberry High School are tied at 1,200 points, with Santa Teresa High close behind at 1,180. With just 20 points separating the schools tied for second from Santa Teresa, this leaderboard has a close race worth tuning into. 

Stevenson High School’s lead in Technical Writing comes from historic success during the Modeling the Future Challenge. Stevenson High School claimed awards for the last 5 years and had at least one team earning 1st to 4th place spots. A few of their most recent reports include Back on Track: Modeling the Recovery of Chicago’s Underfunded Pension System, An Overdose of Overdoses: A County-level Risk Analysis of Fatal Drug Overdoses in America and Relevant Solutions, and Fighting Diabetes: An Analysis of Risk and Solutions to America’s Diabetes Crisis. 

Technical Writing has ties to lots of educational competitions because of the effort and detail that goes into student reports. Remember, Modeling the Future Challenge isn’t the only way to increase your points in this category. Other linked competitions like Plant the Moon Challenge and MATE ROV give teams the ability to climb the Technical Writing Leaderboard. 

Just like your favorite sports teams, ICS will be keeping you updated with regular leaderboard reports, so stay tuned for more rankings, school highlights, and updates on who’s rising to the top. 

We’re still in the early stages of developing our pilot badges and leaderboards, and we’re excited to share more regular updates on educational competitions. Right now, this initial information is based on a handful of competitions, and we’re still adding more every day. 

Check back soon for more updates as we link more and more competitions and data.