North Gyeongsang students sweep all divisions at national statistics competition

Students from North Gyeongsang Province swept all divisions — elementary, middle and high school — at the 28th National Student Statistics Competition, taking home the grand prize in the elementary division, the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education announced Thursday.

The competition has been held since 1999 to sharpen students' statistical thinking and problem-solving skills. It is organized by the Ministry of Statistics and administered by the National Data Talent Development Institute.

This year, a total of 1,640 teams entered nationwide — 244 in the elementary division, 556 in the middle school division and 840 in the high school division. Finalists were selected through a three-stage evaluation consisting of written submissions, presentations and in-depth interviews.

North Gyeongsang students claimed the elementary grand prize and the middle school gold prize, along with silver prizes across all three divisions, demonstrating strong research capabilities in mathematics and statistics.

Particularly notable was the Maewon Elementary School team, whose grand-prize entry analyzed why enrollment at their school has been declining despite its appeal — a topic drawn directly from students' daily lives that earned high marks from the judges.

Middle and high school students also delivered strong results. Pohang Jechul Middle School took the gold prize in the middle school division, an award presented by the Minister of Statistics.

In the high school division, the team from Gyeongsan Science High School earned a silver prize for a study analyzing the distribution of emergency medical facilities to address gaps in healthcare access. The team used public data to map regional imbalances in emergency medical supply and demand and proposed remedies, drawing favorable reviews from judges.

Gumi Munseong Elementary School and Munseong Middle School each won silver prizes in their respective divisions, completing a sweep of all categories for North Gyeongsang students.

"We will continue to actively support students so they can grow into future-ready, convergence-minded talents who ask their own questions, pursue inquiry and use data to solve problems," North Gyeongsang Superintendent of Education Im Jong-sik said.