About
The Berkeley Math Circle is a weekly program that offers math circle sessions for elementary, middle, and high school students, including BMC-Elementary for grades 1 through 4 and BMC-Upper for grades 5 through 12. It also runs the Math Taught the Right Way (MTRW) program for middle and high school students, which interweaves algebra and geometry with general problem-solving and writing skills and includes weekly homework in algebra, geometry, and proofs/problem solving, as well as final exams in each subject. Report cards in MTRW list percentages of successfully completed regular and bonus work, statistics for the corresponding classes, a list of top performers, and special awards from instructors.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Berkeley Math Circle sessions are held on Wednesday evenings, and Math Taught the Right Way meets on Monday evenings, normally from 5–8 pm throughout the academic year; the MTRW Fall 2026 program runs for 15 Monday meetings from August 24, 2026 to December 14, 2026.
• Price: Fees for the MTRW Fall 2026 Program are $910 for the 6A, 7A, 8A, or 9A full programs, and $303 for the 9A Proofs only program.
The Berkeley Math Circle was founded in 1998, and BMC-Elementary for grades 1 through 4 started in 2009. The program emulates famous Eastern European models of math circles, which originated in Hungary more than a century ago and later spread over Eastern Europe and Asia. It has become known to tens of thousands of people in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the country through word-of-mouth and the media, and works with over 500 students from the Bay Area.
The Berkeley Math Circle is jointly sponsored by multiple UC Berkeley departments and research institutes, including Mathematics, Economics, the Haas School of Business, Statistics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR), CITRIS, Vanguard Charitable, and parents’ contributions. The United Math Circles Foundation is the official umbrella organization for the Berkeley Math Circle and is a non-profit organization. Each year, the majority of Berkeley Math Circle students participate in the Bay Area Math Olympiad (BAMO), and about a hundred mathematics teachers, researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and professionals from related areas in industry are involved in Bay Area math circles and BAMO. Circles have been started in San Jose, Stanford, Marin, San Francisco, Oakland, and other Bay Area locations.
The mission of the Berkeley Math Circle is to draw kids to mathematics, prepare them for mathematical contests, introduce them to mathematical theories, and encourage future careers linked with mathematics, including work as mathematicians, mathematics educators, economists, or business entrepreneurs. Math Taught the Right Way emphasizes how to read and write mathematics as the basis for communicating mathematics, is described as intellectually demanding, and does not conform to generic U.S. labels of math classes, allowing students by the end of 9th grade to surpass the regular U.S. math curriculum in breadth, depth, and rigor. Historically, the MTRW program fills quickly, with some groups reaching capacity in less than a week, and readmission for current MTRW students is not guaranteed, as selection is based on dedication and growth.
For MTRW Fall 2026, families must commit to attending both in-person and any online sessions regardless of changes in mode, and once enrolled and fees are paid, no refunds are provided regardless of changed personal circumstances or mode changes. Families in MTRW cannot request make-up finals or alternative final exams. MTRW sessions in Fall 2026 are anticipated to be held in person, with the possibility of occasional online sessions as needed.
Most instructors at Math Taught the Right Way have PhD, MA, or BA degrees in math or related science fields and are described as distinguished teachers at the Berkeley Math Circle, universities, and well-known middle and high schools. The founder of the Berkeley Math Circle and Math Taught the Right Way is Zvezdelina Stankova, a Teaching Professor at UC Berkeley. The Director of Math Taught the Right Way is Patricio Angulo, with Lily Monrovia serving as Administrative Assistant and Noah Tran as Teaching Assistant, and BMC-Elementary (grades 1–4) lists Laura Givental as the contact.
The program’s success is illustrated by several alumni achievements. Evan O’Dorney, a Berkeley Math Circle alumnus, won the Intel Science Talent Search, received a perfect score on the USAMO, and earned the second highest score in the world and a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2010; he received congratulatory calls and meetings with President Obama in 2010 and 2011 and met President Bush in 2007 after winning the National Spelling Bee, and he twice won the national contest “Who Wants to be a Mathematician” in 2010 and 2011. Another alumnus, Evan Chen, is a two-time winner of the USA Junior Math Olympiad, the Bay Area Math Olympiad 2012 grand prize winner with a perfect score in the senior division, and winner of the Harvey Mudd Math Contest in 2012; he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2014 and a gold medal at the 2013 Asian-Pacific Math Olympiad. Laura Pierson, another student associated with these programs, is the BAMO 2012 grand prize winner with a perfect score in the junior division, a USAJMO winner as both a 6th and 10th grader, and a silver medalist at the World and European Girls Math Olympiads in 2012 and 2013.
Last updated August 10, 2026.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Berkeley Math Circle sessions are held on Wednesday evenings, and Math Taught the Right Way meets on Monday evenings, normally from 5–8 pm throughout the academic year; the MTRW Fall 2026 program runs for 15 Monday meetings from August 24, 2026 to December 14, 2026.
• Price: Fees for the MTRW Fall 2026 Program are $910 for the 6A, 7A, 8A, or 9A full programs, and $303 for the 9A Proofs only program.
The Berkeley Math Circle was founded in 1998, and BMC-Elementary for grades 1 through 4 started in 2009. The program emulates famous Eastern European models of math circles, which originated in Hungary more than a century ago and later spread over Eastern Europe and Asia. It has become known to tens of thousands of people in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the country through word-of-mouth and the media, and works with over 500 students from the Bay Area.
The Berkeley Math Circle is jointly sponsored by multiple UC Berkeley departments and research institutes, including Mathematics, Economics, the Haas School of Business, Statistics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR), CITRIS, Vanguard Charitable, and parents’ contributions. The United Math Circles Foundation is the official umbrella organization for the Berkeley Math Circle and is a non-profit organization. Each year, the majority of Berkeley Math Circle students participate in the Bay Area Math Olympiad (BAMO), and about a hundred mathematics teachers, researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and professionals from related areas in industry are involved in Bay Area math circles and BAMO. Circles have been started in San Jose, Stanford, Marin, San Francisco, Oakland, and other Bay Area locations.
The mission of the Berkeley Math Circle is to draw kids to mathematics, prepare them for mathematical contests, introduce them to mathematical theories, and encourage future careers linked with mathematics, including work as mathematicians, mathematics educators, economists, or business entrepreneurs. Math Taught the Right Way emphasizes how to read and write mathematics as the basis for communicating mathematics, is described as intellectually demanding, and does not conform to generic U.S. labels of math classes, allowing students by the end of 9th grade to surpass the regular U.S. math curriculum in breadth, depth, and rigor. Historically, the MTRW program fills quickly, with some groups reaching capacity in less than a week, and readmission for current MTRW students is not guaranteed, as selection is based on dedication and growth.
For MTRW Fall 2026, families must commit to attending both in-person and any online sessions regardless of changes in mode, and once enrolled and fees are paid, no refunds are provided regardless of changed personal circumstances or mode changes. Families in MTRW cannot request make-up finals or alternative final exams. MTRW sessions in Fall 2026 are anticipated to be held in person, with the possibility of occasional online sessions as needed.
Most instructors at Math Taught the Right Way have PhD, MA, or BA degrees in math or related science fields and are described as distinguished teachers at the Berkeley Math Circle, universities, and well-known middle and high schools. The founder of the Berkeley Math Circle and Math Taught the Right Way is Zvezdelina Stankova, a Teaching Professor at UC Berkeley. The Director of Math Taught the Right Way is Patricio Angulo, with Lily Monrovia serving as Administrative Assistant and Noah Tran as Teaching Assistant, and BMC-Elementary (grades 1–4) lists Laura Givental as the contact.
The program’s success is illustrated by several alumni achievements. Evan O’Dorney, a Berkeley Math Circle alumnus, won the Intel Science Talent Search, received a perfect score on the USAMO, and earned the second highest score in the world and a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2010; he received congratulatory calls and meetings with President Obama in 2010 and 2011 and met President Bush in 2007 after winning the National Spelling Bee, and he twice won the national contest “Who Wants to be a Mathematician” in 2010 and 2011. Another alumnus, Evan Chen, is a two-time winner of the USA Junior Math Olympiad, the Bay Area Math Olympiad 2012 grand prize winner with a perfect score in the senior division, and winner of the Harvey Mudd Math Contest in 2012; he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2014 and a gold medal at the 2013 Asian-Pacific Math Olympiad. Laura Pierson, another student associated with these programs, is the BAMO 2012 grand prize winner with a perfect score in the junior division, a USAJMO winner as both a 6th and 10th grader, and a silver medalist at the World and European Girls Math Olympiads in 2012 and 2013.
Last updated August 10, 2026.
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