January Contest

The USACO 2015 January contest has recently ended. Results are here.

Our Mission

The USACO supports computing education in the USA and worldwide by identifying, motivating, and training high-school computing students at all levels. We provide:

• Hundreds of hours of free on-line training resources that students can use to improve their programming and computational problem-solving skills.
• On-line programming contests (roughly six per year) for students at all levels.
• An intensive summer training camp, to which the top students in the USA are invited to further improve their skills and learn advanced material.
• The opportunity for the top four students in the USA to represent their country at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), the most prestigious international algorithmic programming competition at the high-school level.

2014-2015 Season Schedule Announced

The schedule for the USACO 2014-2015 season is now posted. We will be holding a series of three on-line contests, starting in December, followed up with the US Open, our national championship contest (the contest frequency is slightly reduced this year to give our staff additional time to work on infrastructure and training system improvements). As in the past, contests will be available at bronze, silver, and gold levels of difficulty. All are welcome to participate!

USACO Mourns the Loss of Founder Don Piele

I am sad to report that the founder of the USA Computing Olympiad, Dr. Don Piele, has recently passed away after a battle with cancer. A highly-respected member of the IOI community, Don worked tirelessly over several decades to inspire thousands of computing students and enable them to succceed (including the present USACO director -- I first competed in a programming contest organized by Don back in 1987). Don was a wonderful friend, colleague, and mentor. We'll certainly miss his wisdom and guidance as the USACO continues to expand and evolve. -- Brian Dean, USACO Director

Team USA Wins Solid Gold at IOI 2014!

Congratulations to team representing the USA at the 2014 International Olympiad in Informatics in Taipei, Taiwan! -- Andrew He, Steven Hao, Scott Wu, and Joshua Brakensiek. All four won gold medals, and Scott Wu tied for first place with a perfect score after completing the contest in nearly half the allotted time! A truly remarkable result, and perhaps the best ever for team USA!

Finalists for 2013-2014 Season Announced

The USA Computing Olympiad is pleased to announce its finalists for the 2013-2014 season! These 24 indidivuals will be attending the USACO summer training camp and competing to represent the USA at the 2014 International Olympiad in Informatics.

IOI 2013: Strong Results for Team USA

Team USA turned in impressive results at the 2013 International Olympiad in Informatics in Brisbane, Australia! Congratulations to: Scott Wu (gold, 5th place overall), Steven Hao (silver), Johnny Ho (silver), Joshua Brakensiek (gold).

USA Wins Big at IOI 2012

Congratulations to the USA team attending the 2012 International Olympiad in Informatics in Sirmione, Italy -- they won a total of three gold medals and one bronze medal, with team member Johnny Ho achieving a perfect score and winning first place individually! Pictured above: Daniel Ziegler (bronze), Johnny Ho (gold, first place winner), Mitchell Lee (gold), Scott Wu (gold).

Your Account

2014-2015 Schedule

Dec 12-15: First Contest
Jan 16-19: Second Contest
Feb 20-23: Third Contest
April 3-6: US Open
May 21-30: Training Camp
July 26-August 2: IOI'15 in Almaty, Kazakhstan