APS Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl 2026

Atlanta Public Schools Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl is an exciting annual competition where students from across the district showcase their knowledge of selected books. Teams compete in a quiz-bowl format, answering questions that test their comprehension and recall. The event promotes a love of reading, teamwork, and friendly competition, encouraging students to engage deeply with literature.

Each elementary school will compete in a cluster competition. The top two elementary teams from each cluster will move on to compete in the APS district competition. As always, APS Library Media Services will cover the fees for all APS traditional schools. All other schools will submit their own fees to the state. The APS Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl will be held on January 31, 2026

Helen ruffin reading bowl Book List

Click here for the 2026 HRRB elementary school book list.

Click here for the 2026 HRRB middle school book list.

Click here for the 2026 HRRB high school book list. (GA Peach Book 2025-2026 Award Nominees)

Many titles are available for APS students via CLA SS Pass. Click here to view the list of available titles and their location in CLASS PASS

registration

All participating elementary schools are required to compete in a preliminary cluster bowl competition. The top two elementary teams from each cluster will move on to compete in the APS district competition on January 31, 2026. To learn more about cluster bowl competitions, click here.

All participating middle and high schools will compete in the district's Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl competition on January 31, 2026. There is no preliminary competitions for middle and high school teams.

All traditional, charter, partner, and private schools situated in Atlanta must complete the Atlanta Public Schools online registration here. The deadline to register is November 14, 2025. APS Library Media Services will register and cover the fees for all APS traditional schools. All other schools will need to register on both the APS and the STATE sites and submit their own fees to the state. More information about state registration and fees can be found here.

Volunteers Needed

Every school is required to solicit two volunteers. Volunteers are an essential component to making the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl a success. Click here to complete the volunteer registration. Visit our volunteer's page here for more information on volunteer registration, trainings and updates.

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