2026 SSNCT
The 2026 Small School National Championship Tournament was the twelfth iteration of NAQT's SSNCT, held on April 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, IL.
The tournament was split into two separate divisions: the Traditional Public Schools Division, which was open to public schools with 500 or fewer students enrolled in the top three grades; and the Open Division, which was open to schools which did not meet the definition of a "Traditional Public School" and which had 350 or fewer students enrolled in their top three grades. The Traditional Public Schools Division also contained a Very Small Schools subdivision, which consisted of public schools with 200 or fewer students enrolled in their top three grades.
For the third consecutive year, a full field of 88 teams contested the Traditional Public Schools division, 31 of which were categorized as Very Small Schools. A further 66 teams contested the Open Division.
Traditional Public Schools Division
| 2026 NAQT SSNCT (Traditional Public) | |
|---|---|
| Edited by | NAQT |
| Champion | Russell A |
| Runner-up | West Point A |
| Third | Marianna A |
| Fourth | Bayless A |
| High scorer | Matthew Kapinus, New Berlin |
| Site | Hyatt Regency O'Hare |
| Field | 88 (31 VSS) |
| Stats | [1] |
Russell A (Kentucky) defeated defending champion West Point A (Alabama) 455-260 in the second leg of an advantaged final. Russell finished with a 17-1 record en route to their first ever SSNCT championship, their only defeat coming in the first leg of the advantaged final.
New Berlin (Illinois) claimed their first Very Small School championship with a 14-2 record.
Open Division
| 2026 NAQT SSNCT (Open) | |
|---|---|
| Edited by | NAQT |
| Champion | Park Tudor A |
| Runner-up | St. Mark's School of Texas A |
| Third | University School of Nashville A |
| Fourth | St. Mark's School of Texas B |
| High scorer | Carson Tidwell, Merrol Hyde |
| Site | Hyatt Regency O'Hare |
| Field | 66 |
| Stats | [2] |
In a rematch of the 2025 SSNCT Open Division final, Park Tudor A (Indiana) capped off a historic 17-0 run with a 625-215 blowout of St. Mark's School of Texas A in the first leg of an advantaged final. This marked Park Tudor's first Open Division title and St. Mark's first ever loss in a SSNCT final.
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