Education Secretary Announces $250,000 in Scholarships for America 250 Civics Test

The scholarships will go to the top three students who can answer the most civics questions in 90 minutes.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced a new scholarship program to honor the upcoming America 250 celebration. Students can register to take a 90-minute test with 4,000 civics questions, with the top three scorers receiving scholarships of $150,000, $75,000, and $25,000 respectively.

Why it matters

The America 250 commemoration is a major national event, and the scholarship program is designed to promote civic education and engagement among young people as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.

The details

The scholarship program is open for registration until February 21st. Students who sign up will take an online test with 4,000 civics questions, and they'll have 90 minutes to answer as many as they can correctly. The top three scorers will receive scholarships of $150,000 for first place, $75,000 for second, and $25,000 for third.

  • The scholarship program is open for registration until February 21, 2026.
  • The final competition will be held in Washington, D.C.

The players

Linda McMahon

The current U.S. Secretary of Education, appointed by the President.

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What they’re saying

“Right now, it's open enrollment up until February 21st. Students can register and then they'll go online and take what is being billed as the impossible test...which is all about civics questions, etc. ... They'll have 90 minutes to answer 4,000 questions. So, it's a question of how many can they answer correctly during that 90 minutes.”

— Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education (The Alex Marlow Show)

What’s next

The final competition for the scholarships will be held in Washington, D.C. in the coming months.

The takeaway

This scholarship program is an innovative way to promote civic education and engagement among young people as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The challenging test format and substantial prize money are designed to incentivize students to deepen their knowledge of American history and government.