The Most Competitive Debate Programs in 2025-2026

# The Most Competitive Debate Programs in 2025-2026 Five tournaments into the 2025-2026 season, clear contenders are emerging at both the college and high school levels. Here is our breakdown of the programs making the biggest impact so far. ## College: The Big Three Hold Steady **University of Kansas** remains the top-ranked college program with an aggregate DPI of 3200. Marcus Thompson has been virtually unbeatable in CX this season, taking first at Golden Desert and the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational, and finishing third at Harvard. **Binghamton University** has been the biggest mover. Elise Nakamura's back-to-back deep runs -- finishing second at Harvard and winning Glenbrooks -- have pushed Binghamton from 4th to 2nd in the college rankings. Their coaching staff has clearly built something special in upstate New York. **Emory University** rounds out the top three. Jordan Bell's consistency -- winning Barkley Forum and the Emory National while finishing second at Golden Desert -- makes Emory the team to beat at their home tournament in February. ## College Dark Horse: Chico State Keep an eye on Chico State, which jumped three spots to 11th after strong showings at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational. Delaney Ingalls has been steadily climbing the CX rankings and is one breakout tournament away from cracking the top echelon. ## High School: New York vs. Texas The HS landscape is defined by two regions. New York schools (Bronx Science, Stuyvesant) dominate PF and LD, while Texas powerhouses (Greenhill, St. Mark's, Strake Jesuit) lead CX. **Bronx Science** claimed the top overall HS ranking, fueled by Noah Ashworth's PF dominance (three first-place finishes) and strong showings across CX and CONG. **Stuyvesant** sits at 2nd, propelled by Sanjay Krishnan's historic LD season. He is currently undefeated in finals rounds. **Greenhill School** leads the Texas contingent at 4th. Aarav Mehta jumped to 1st in HS CX after winning Churchill and Greenhill Round Robin. ## Emerging Programs - **Millburn High School (NJ)** -- Jumped from 15th to 13th. Strong across PF and LD. - **Hawken School (OH)** -- Rose two spots. Their Midwest dominance in CX and LD is translating nationally. - **Apple Valley (MN)** -- Mia Sandoval's PF win at their home tournament signals a team on the rise. ## What to Watch The second half of the season features the heavyweight tournaments: Emory National, Harvard National Forensics, TOC, and NSDA Nationals. The DPI standings will shift dramatically. Stay tuned.