Elementary Science Olympiad

PARTICIPATION and REGISTRATION

This event is open to elementary students attending school in DeKalb County, GA. All students must participate as a member of a team, typically school based. Registration is required for all teams and is completed by the Head Coach using a simple Google Form. We send a link to the Head Coach.

Are you a parent who is interested in bringing Elementary Science Olympiad to your child’s school? Need to find out if your school already has a team? Please contact the DESO Director by email at michael_dowling@dekalbschoolsga.org.

EVENTS

We offer 27 events for 2026. Some activities feature “Georgia Special” rules that deviate from those in the official printed manual. Use only the events descriptions we provide to your school’s Head Coach in our 2026 Event Packet. We send these to each Head Coach following registration, beginning in October.

2026 Event List

PRACTICE and HELP

Fernbank Science Center produces Practice Tip Sheets for some events (see link below) and has helpful video instructions for several others.

DESO 2026 Practice Tips and Event Clarifications

The DeKalb Elementary Science Olympiad (DESO) is an excellent activity for kids who enjoy science and engineering challenges. Students in grades 3-5 test their skills and knowledge in a variety of competitive events – it is like a science track meet! Some will build pasta cars to race or water rockets to launch. Others will study leaves or learn to identify rocks and minerals. Is your child good at estimating mass or volume? Do they know the difference between a femur and a follicle? Here is your chance to find out!

Students have a great time at this district-wide science extravaganza. The Olympiad begins with a parade, and winners get medals. Our tournament is a Regional Qualifier, so top teams will advance to STATE! DeKalb County has an outstanding group of Science Olympiad teams and one of the largest elementary programs in Georgia.