Collage of children and teenagers holding trophies, dressed in formal or school attire, at an outdoor awards event.

ModernBrain's mission is to provide our families with the perfect public speaking pathway to confidence and college.

  • "ModernBrain is beyond phenomenal. My daughter started with them a little over a year ago and just made their Nationals Team in Speech. She has grown so much in her writing, confidence and presentation skills and has the BEST coaches ever.  She likes each of them uniquely and they have all brought out different positive aspects in her. She cannot wait to compete this year with her team that feels like family. ModernBrain is the BEST. Today, while driving, my daughter (in a semi-joking manner) said when she grows up she wants to be [one of her instructors.] For a tween to say that, you know you have a beyond amazing organization! We hope to be a member of the ModernBrain Family for years!"

    Deanna (a ModernBrain mom)

  •  "I am honored to provide my personal recommendation for services of truly exceptional merit provided by ModernBrain. ModernBrain has been intensively coaching my son, Jason, in collegiate level debate. Jason, who had never been involved in debate before, in his first year won 14 medals at college debate tournaments, a national championship, and a gold medal in an international debate tournament held in China. The results of this training have been far beyond the most optimistic expectations. My son not only excels in debate, he has also achieved during this same time frame straight 'A' grades in all his classes. His mind has been unlocked and unleashed, and his achievements have been remarkable."

    Young (a ModernBrain dad)

  • "Thanks to ModernBrain, our son was the Associated Student Body and Speech and Debate President at his middle school in Irvine. He won Best Delegate at his Model United Nations Conference. He won 1st Place at the Orange County Debate League Championship Tournament. He was a finalist for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Great Communicator Debate Series. It qualified him for a $3000 college scholarship and an invitation for an internship at the White House and United States Congress. I know the importance of communication for success in the corporate world. That's why we asked ModernBrain to mentor our kids: because they're the best."

    Joyce (a ModernBrain mom)

Group of five young students, four women and one man, pose behind a table with a 'Defense' sign in a large, formal room. The man in front wears a gray suit and tie, holding a paper. The women are dressed in various professional and casual outfits, with one wearing a wide-brimmed hat. They all smile and look at the camera.

ELEVATION: Our three-step system empowers students to succeed.

First, our students begin with our comprehensive classes, where they learn the fundamentals of communication skills. Over 5,000 families have started their journey here.

Second, they transition to our specialty classes and national competition teams, where they have the chance to excel at regional, state, national, and international public speaking contests. Hundreds of our students have earned at least one national ranking.

Finally, our counseling program empowers them to find their perfect fit. Over 95% of our mentees are admitted into top 20-ranked and/or their top choice institutions.

  • "I started with ModernBrain 5 years ago and have taken both their speech and debate classes. My coaches have been amazing and empowering teachers, and they've helped me develop my critical thinking and public speaking skills. Each speech I write involves a lot of research and careful planning, and learning how to craft cohesive, well-supported arguments has boosted my research and communication abilities. ModernBrain's coaching has helped me win numerous speech and debate awards, grow my self-confidence, and make many great friends. In retrospect, these experiences have really helped me grow as a person, thinker, and speaker, and I feel very lucky to be a part of this wonderful community."

    Grace J. (a ModernBrain graduate)

  • "ModernBrain is truly a top-tier speech and debate program. The coaches are incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, and passionate about helping students grow—not just as competitors, but as confident speakers and critical thinkers. The curriculum is structured, yet flexible enough to accommodate each student’s style and strengths. Whether you’re just starting out or aiming for national tournaments, ModernBrain provides the guidance, strategies, and community to help you succeed. I’ve seen tremendous improvement in delivery, argumentation, and overall confidence. Highly recommended for anyone looking to excel in public speaking and debate!"

    Grace C. (a ModernBrain Lincoln-Douglas student)

  • "My experience this year at ModernBrain has been one of the best experiences in my life. In my time on the Congress debate nationals team, I have learned so much about debating and competed in multiple tournaments, each one teaching me something new. Every experience was an opportunity to learn and I'm so glad I was able to become a better speaker and debater. I've also met many amazing people, including new friends and coaches, who have helped me a lot this year. Thank you especially to Coach Fid, who is the best coach I could have ever wished for. This year was challenging but very fun and rewarding. Thank you ModernBrain!"

    Brian (a ModernBrain Student Congress student)

A group of seven children smiling and posing together indoors in a classroom or play area.

EXPERTISE: We prioritize professionalism.

There's a reason organizations in counties like Orange and Los Angeles, including educational institutions representing over 50,000 students such as the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, hire us to support their districts.

It's the same reason why we're an approved provider of the President's Volunteer Service Award, why international college counseling companies like Stoooges Education trust our instructors to prepare their students for the Ivy League, and why the #1-ranked UCLA Trial Advocacy Team sought and received our support.

Our professionalism pervades each element of our approach, from our core values of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction to our year-round, custom-designed lesson plans and our consistently small student-teacher ratios.

  • "Without hesitation, I can say that Modern Brain is THE Premier provider of top tier mock trial, speech and debate and college counseling services. We signed on for mock trial and in short time felt extraordinarily comfortable with the talent and quality of people and experience at Modern Brain and knew they were our choice for counseling as well. What a first rate program, with first rate coaches and counselors, who are proven winners themselves and preparers of future winners. I recommend them without hesitation — it’s the best decision you can make."

    Eric (a ModernBrain dad)

  • "ModernBrain has helped me make sure that all of my students are getting the individually tailored coaching attention that they deserve--something that can often be a challenge for larger programs or those with a broad range of experience and ability levels. Their energetic, knowledgeable, and dedicated coaches are second to none. I look forward to growing my program's relationship with ModernBrain and helping ALL of my students realize their full potential!"

    Brandon (a two-time national champion coach)

  • "The coaches and teachers here are excellent! Yilin provided us with a lot of great advice on public speaking, debate, and related training and competitions. The front desk staff were also very friendly, and we are very satisfied! A special thank you to Coach Trig; my child has made great progress and shown great interest in learning from him, and he also provides timely feedback on my child's revisions! If your child is interested in public speaking and debate, I recommend checking out this organization; they are very professional!"

    Jiang (a ModernBrain dad)

Young girl smiling and holding two trophies in front of a wall with framed photographs and awards.

EXCELLENCE: Winning isn't the only goal, but it's the outcome.

Since the start of the 2020 season, our students have won over 1,600 first place public speaking championships, more than 350 bids to the most competitive tournaments in the nation, the NIETOC and Tournament of Champions, hundreds of national awards, and over 6,800 public speaking honors at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

No other academy has matched this record: top team honors and championships at NIETOC and both the Empire and Gladiator Mock Trial World Championships, five consecutive NSDA national championships, and the Top Delegation Award at the largest Model United Nations conference in the United States.

Check out our AWARDS page for specifics.

  • "ModernBrain has been great with helping my son learn how to be more confident while speaking in public. Not just while giving a speech, but just everyday encounters talking to adults. He has developed interests in certain topics that he'd never thought of before because he all of a sudden finds that he has to debate a certain issue. It's eye-opening and broadening his mind, but without seeming like he is in school. As the parent, I think the coach is wonderfully supportive and challenges my child to seek improvement. I really appreciate how much time the coach gives me when I ask a lot of questions. When entering the tournaments for the first time I was very confused but our coach took a lot of time to help me. From what I have seen, this class helps my son speak more efficiently. He doesn't ramble as much and tries to make his points clearer. My son says he really enjoys the class and feels like it helps him learn how to think about things from all angles. He also tells me that he likes how he gets to talk about things that he normally wouldn't talk. Totally 5++++ stars for ModernBrain!!!"

    Yvonne (a ModernBrain mom)

  • "I was a student at ModernBrain, and I can say it is an amazing speech and debate academy, with a very supportive environment! The coaches are open and involved in their classes, and they genuinely care about having their students succeed. The classes cater to kids of any age and level, and can be taken online and/or in-person, giving people a choice as to what makes them most comfortable. However, no matter the platform, ModernBrain coaches make every effort to help their students. ModernBrain also has advanced classes where students practice speech and debate competitively--and are triumphant, as evident by their strong winning record in national championships--but they also offer classes designed just to help kids become more confident in public speaking. In every class, kids are taught skills that help themselves succeed in speech and debate as well as school and home. Highly recommend!"

    C. (a ModernBrain graduate)

  • "I was watching my 7 year old daughter do her ModernBrain speech and debate class for the 1st time and the coach asked her to argue the pro of reading versus watching a film. I immediately thought this was going to be hard for her because she definitely loves her movies. Instead what I found was a thoughtful argument for something that I knew would be hard for her. For example, she cited that through reading you can become a better writer, and have better comprehension because you see the same words and gain familiarity. In addition to better reasoning, she was also able to structure her argument better than I expected. She started her argument with a hook which is a question to draw the listener into her speech then she stated a couple of her main points before she began to get into the meat of her argument. I found the whole thing adorable but I'm sure it will also serve her well in all future academic endeavors. I know it'll be useful even for meetings in the business world if 7 year olds are allowed!"

    Eric (a ModernBrain dad)

Two young girls standing side by side, smiling, with framed photographs on the white wall behind them, holding medals.

EMPATHY: We cultivate a culture of caring.

ModernBrain is known for our effective, respectful communication. Before you decide to entrust your student's learning to us, we offer free trial classes and seminars to make sure you're given the appropriate class placement. Once your student is enrolled, they'll receive multiple personalized evaluations throughout the semester. Throughout the process, we promise quick and accurate responses to all phone and email communication.

Our instructors are all trained under the National Federation of State High School Association's standards regarding student safety and well-being. We keep class sizes small to make sure your student receives the attention they need to grow. We use vetted technology approved by teachers who've won research awards for communication to keep track of student learning. When your student joins the ModernBrain family, we make sure they're supported.

  • "My daughter Meera Kalluraya started speech sometime around Grade 5 and started showing interest in competing in tournaments. I would say till she went to ModernBrain she improved slowly . When Meera joined ModernBrain, she made such great progress. Within 6 months of joining ModernBrain and the National Speech team, she started breaking in tournaments. Fast-forward 2.5 year later, Meera won the MS Nationals and is still with ModernBrain and loves her coaches. ModernBrain has been such an important part of her growth both as a person and in speech and debate. ModernBrain genuinely cares about students growth and the 1-1 attention has been tremendous. I highly recommend ModernBrain for a place your students will grow in communication (speech and debate)."

    Vidya (a ModernBrain mom)

  • "ModernBrain is an amazing debate academy that has taught me countless necessary skills to be successful in speech and debate. In my time at ModernBrain, I have learned to be eloquent, how to research, and how to structure arguments in a coherent way that gets my point across. Through the program, I have exponentially improved and been able to achieve many wins in debate tournaments over the past few years. For anyone looking for a place to learn speech and debate and be able to compete at state, regional, and even national levels, this is definitely the place for you! I would highly recommend ModernBrain to anyone interested in speech and debate; it is absolutely worth every penny!"

    Zoe (a ModernBrain graduate)

  • "My son has been studying at ModernBrain for 5 years, from 6th grade to now, almost 11th grade. He has made great progress and achieved good results in various competitions such as speech, debate, and Model United Nations. He has developed his ability to express himself in public from a young age and has read extensively to improve his writing skills. The increased reading has also enhanced his logical thinking abilities, which has been helpful for his math grades. When my friends asked which teacher to recommend at ModernBrain, my son responded by saying that all the teachers who have taught me are very good. This institution rigorously selects its teachers, and the ones with strong professional abilities who can also connect well with the children are the best."

    Lynne (a ModernBrain mom)

A group of students presenting in a classroom with a screen displaying a document behind them; the audience is seated, using laptops, and some students are standing and speaking.

EQUITY: Inclusivity guides our decisions.

Some organizations hyper-specialize in particular public speaking categories. They might only focus on some forms of debate or only produce material for students who are coming in at a high level of commitment. We offer training in all forms of American speech and debate, mock trial, model united nations, ethics bowl, and more.

ModernBrain has sponsored city-wide STEAM festivals, contributed money and curricula for K-12 and community college students, with a focus on Title I schools, and run low-cost public speaking competitions as fundraisers for local public school programs. Because of this equitable approach, we've been named a "Top 100 Company Supporting Educational Excellence" by the Irvine Public Schools Foundation for four consecutive years.