Pleasanton Student Qualifies For Scripps Spelling Bee
- Local student Rithvi Balajee qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the second consecutive year. - Qualification showcases strong local academic programs and the student's dedication to intensive preparation and study. - Rithvi will represent the Tri-Valley region on the national stage, an event drawing wide attention (patch.com).
Pleasanton eighth grader Rithvi Balajee has qualified for the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, sending her back to the national stage for a second straight year. (patch.com) Balajee attends Stratford School’s Pleasanton campus and advanced through the regional pipeline tied to the San Ramon Valley Rotary Club, the same partner that sent her to nationals in 2025. Scripps says its program is open to students who have not passed beyond eighth grade or turned 16. (patch.com) (spellingbee.com) Her return follows a 2025 national appearance in which Scripps lists Balajee, then a 13-year-old seventh grader, as finishing tied for 89th place. Patch’s 2025 report said she reached nationals after placing second in the California Regional Spelling Bee against a field of 59 students from 29 schools. (spellingbee.com) (patch.com) The Scripps bee runs through school, local and regional rounds before finalists reach the national competition, so a repeat trip usually means a student has sustained that performance over an entire academic year. Scripps’ 2026 materials say schools enroll for the current program year and use official classroom and school word lists as they move students through the early rounds. (spellingbee.com 1) (spellingbee.com 2) That structure has made the bee a recurring regional event in the Tri-Valley, where Rotary-backed qualifying rounds have recently sent multiple students from Pleasanton, San Ramon and nearby cities to Washington-area competition. The Rotary club’s 2025 results page listed Balajee among three students advancing to nationals from its regional bee. (sanramonvalleyrotary.com) (pleasantonweekly.com) At the national level, the event has grown into a televised competition with hundreds of contestants. Scripps said 243 spellers competed in the 2025 bee, held at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. (scripps.com) (spellingbee.com) For 2026, Scripps says the finals broadcast schedule will be posted beginning May 1, and its watch page says the semifinals are set for May 28 and the finals for May 29 on ION. That gives Balajee about a month before the national rounds begin. (spellingbee.com 1) (spellingbee.com 2) Balajee now returns as one of the Bay Area students trying to turn a regional spelling run into a deeper finish on the national stage. Last year got her to the top 100; this year gives Pleasanton another shot at hearing its student’s name in late May. (spellingbee.com) (pleasantonweekly.com)
