3 Best Debate Summer Camps for 2025 [Guide]
Every summer, thousands of middle and high school students attend debate camps focused on popular Speech and Debate events like Lincoln-Douglas debate and Public Forum debate. We often hear from parents that deciding where to send their child for camp is an overwhelming process, so we’ve built this guide to help parents understand the types of summer debate camps they can choose from, along with three camps our Club Team students regularly attend and find rewarding.
Types of Camps
The most important distinctions amongst types of debate camps are:
- In-person debate camps vs. Online debate camps
- Residential debate camps vs. Commuter/Day Camps
- National debate camps vs. Regional debate camps
- Camps focused on group learning vs. camps focused on 1-on-1 training
We briefly cover some pros for each type of camp that we have observed over the years.
In-Person Camps vs. Online Debate Camps
Many families prefer in-person debate camps because they tend to be more socially rewarding, students make life-long friends, and students get to learn from world-class faculty surrounded by motivated and bright peers. Obviously in-person camps require coordinating logistics, including travel (e.g. flights) and potential scheduling conflicts with other summer activities.
On the other hand, some families prefer online debate camps because online camps offer them more flexibility and let families plan other commitments (e.g. vacations, summer internships, courses, etc.) and still fit in debate.
Residential Camps vs Day Camps
Residential camps are sleep-away camps. Typically students stay at a college campus and sleep in dorms. Reputable camps will have a large faculty that helps administer a safe and rewarding sleep-away experience. Residential camps are the most immersive learning experience students can have - you end up eating, breathing, sleeping debate. Learning in this environment often jump-starts progress and most top-100 ranked students in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Public-Forum Debate have attended at least 1 sleep-away camp.
Day camps are popular for families who happen to live near the camp or who want to turn camp into a family vacation and spend a couple of weeks in the city the camp is being held in. Students check in at breakfast and depart in the evening evening, which lets them spend the night time with their families.
National Camps vs Regional Camps
National camps attract students of all skill levels from across the United States, have a large, diverse set of faculty, and are a highly effective training ground for students of all skill levels. One of the benefits of reputable national camps is that many of the country’s top ranked debaters are in attendance, which raises the collective rigor and competitive spirit of the camp. Younger students can learn from and be mentored by the best of the best. Well-run camps will host camp tournaments to round off the experience, giving students a curated opportunity to reinforce everything they spent the last several weeks learning.
Regional camps tend to cater to younger students who are newer to speech and debate and live in the nearby region. They can be a good way for students to meet peers and coaches in the surrounding areas, and offer a more convenient summer option.
Group Learning vs Bespoke Training
The majority of camps structure education in “labs”, which are composed of ~12 students that are at a similar skill level. Students learn in their labs, which usually have 1 to 3 instructors depending on the student to faculty ratio. In addition to learning in labs, students will usually be able to attend lectures that they can select from, participate in practice debates, and do individualized mentor hours. At most camps, the 1-on-1 attention is limited simply because there are many more students than faculty.
Conversely, some families find that bespoke training options are more effective for their needs. These tend to be individually designed and curated, with the emphasis on 1-on-1 training.
3 Best Debate Summer Camps for 2025
National Symposium for Debate (NSD) Camps
NSD has been running nationally recognized, popular summer debate camps since 2006. With over 5,000 alumni, they have a strong track record of creating a fantastic learning environment for students of all skill levels, from beginners to national champions. They offer residential and commuter camps in Nebraska, Philadelphia, and Texas, in addition to online camps, online debate tutoring and concierge coaching. Last year, over 700 students attended an NSD camp focused on Public Forum debate or Lincoln-Douglas debate. NSD faculty are also known for the breadth and diversity of their faculty.
Bergen Debate Day Camps
Bergen Debate Club is a regional program in the New York City and New Jersey metro that is popular for offering half-day and day camps for younger students who are looking to get an introduction to debate and public speaking. Bergen day camps tend to be a good fit for students in 5th to 8th grade. Camps are held in Fort Lee and Glen Rock, as well as online.
DebateDrills Private Summer Camps
DebateDrills offers 1-on-1, private summer debate camps for students looking to get hands-on, individualized training. While the majority of DebateDrills students are in high school, we have designed programs for students as young as 1st grade as well as adults. DebateDrills helps organize a suite of private coaches that work in concert to maximize progress over the summer. Schedule a call to learn more.
Benefits of Debate Camp
Some of the top benefits of debate camps include:
Dedicated learning environment: Learning in a dedicated environment solely focused on debate
Networking: Networking in a safe, trusted environment with peers across the country. Alumni regularly reflect that their high school debate friends and network go on to form a powerful professional network
Training for all skill levels: Big, national debate camps are catered to all skill levels. Oftentimes, during the school year, debate programs end up only having a handful of students at each skill level. At summer debate camps, students can often learn alongside dozens of peers at similar skill levels. Novices find camp helps them evaluate if debate is a good activity for them while intermediate and advanced students find camp helps them rapidly progress
College campus exposure: Summer debate camps offer parents a trusted and safe activity for their kids to attend for 2-3 weeks and give their children a small, structured dose of what life in college will look like. Camps end up doubling up as a low-stakes college tour - kids get a feel for what campus life is like and whether they like the feel of a larger or smaller campus
Real-world skill development: Debate teaches students important real-world skills, including (i) researching important real-world issues spanning international relations, economics, and philosophy, (ii) public speaking, (iii) defending both sides of controversial topics and (iv) writing persuasive position papers
Mentorship: Club teams and middle & high school debate program coaches love camp because their students get an opportunity to learn from coaches from a wide range of programs and with different teaching styles beyond what students get as part of their clubs or school programs. As a result, students become more adept at being able to mentor younger kids at their home programs.
We know choosing a debate camp for the summer can often be a big decision! Don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule a call with us as you explore the best fit for your child.