National Finals: April 9-11, 2025
Correction to the 2025 We the People National Finals Results
April 16, 2025
What Happened
Following the event, two scoring discrepancies were brought to our attention. Upon investigation, we discovered:
- A display error caused one judge’s score for Oregon’s Unit 2 to appear as 34 instead of the correct total of 49. The judge’s original submission was accurate, but the final spreadsheet miscalculated the total displayed.
- A formula sorting error caused Colorado’s Day 1 score to be replaced by another team’s score in the sorted totals spreadsheet. The raw data was submitted and stored correctly, but the final tabulation reflected the wrong values.
These errors resulted in the top-four placements being inaccurately reported. The Center for Civic Education takes full responsibility for these errors, and we have decided to correct the record by fully honoring the students who competed.
Corrected Results
- Oregon’s Lincoln High School from Portland and Sprague High School from Salem will officially share the title of National Champions.
- Colorado’s Denver East High School and Indiana’s Fishers High School will officially share second place.
- Third and fourth place are vacated, meaning that no school will be listed as having taken third and fourth places. The placement of all teams after fourth place remains the same and reflects their scores in the competition.
The results listed above are not a tie but a corrective recognition that the original announcement was in error and that the additional placements reflect the verified, accurate scores. This is an extraordinary measure taken in response to an extraordinary situation—one that reflects both our commitment to honoring student achievement and to correcting our own mistakes with fairness and integrity. The achievements of all teams affected by the scoring glitch are in no way diminished by the revised results.
No other team scores or placements were impacted by this scoring error. We have completed a thorough audit of all team and unit scores and confirmed that no additional scoring errors occurred.
What We’re Doing
We are taking the following steps to make things right:
- Issuing corrected awards and official notifications to the affected teams
- Posting updated results publicly
- Personally apologizing to the students and educators impacted
- Strengthening our score verification and auditing procedures for all future competitions
We are committed to transparency, fairness, and accountability. The Center deeply regrets these errors and extends our appreciation to the entire We the People community for their understanding and support as we move forward with renewed diligence and care.
For questions, please contact Emily Voss at voss@civiced.org.
