A record breaking 1,001 teams participated in the 2025 American Rocketry Challenge. Below are the nine Alabama teams from six schools (of the 32 total state teams from 20 schools) that made the top 100 best scores to earn an invitation to compete at the National Finals on May 17 in Manassas, VA. They fly to win $100,000 in prizes and the title of National Champion. The winning team will represent the United States and compete at the International Rocketry Challenge in June at the Paris Air Show. Last year only seven teams from the state went, but Tharptown came in first and Muscle Shoals fifth. Tharptown will be back to defend its national title.

Cutoff score for top 100 was 28.6. Last year it was 32.12. Cutoff score for the next twenty alternates was 33.9.

Team Number        School                   City 

25- 1841 Columbia High School            Huntsville 

25- 0616 Lawrence County High School     Moulton 

25- 0016 Muscle Shoals High School (Team 1) Muscle Shoals 

25- 0017 Muscle Shoals High School (Team 2) Muscle Shoals 

25- 0344 Russellville High School (Team 2) Russellville 

25- 0003 Russellville High School (Team 1) Russellville 

25- 0322 Tharptown High School (Team 1) Russellville 

25- 0419 Tharptown High School (Team 2) Russellville 

25- 1850 Tuscumbia City Schools         Tuscumbia 

Also going to the finals that was qualified by HARA is the 25- 1718 team from Fulton Science Academy, Alpharetta, Georgia, that state’s only team to make it.

While much of America is obsessed with college basketball in March the real hysteria is ARC rocket teams scrambling to catch a good weather day and a NAR observer on a dry field all before the launch qualification deadline 4/7. Local schools, some with multiple teams, were busy lighting up pads trying to get the magic time and altitude for a score to take them to the finals, or at least a respectable number to stand for their work all year. Some of the flight results look promising for these student scientists. Finalists in the American Rocketry Challenge will be announced 4/16.