RANKS & ADVANCEMENTS

About Ranks and Advancements

Cub Scouts are grouped by grade level into Dens. Cub Scouts may join between Kindergarten and 5th grade. Cub Scouts will work on required and elective adventures under the leadership of their Den Leader. As they progress through the Scouting program, Cub Scouts learn new skills and abilities, and are awarded with loops, pins, or patches to show their achievements. On the advancement trail, a Cub Scout progresses in their rank based on their grade level in school. Cub Scouts do not need to have earned the previous rank in order to earn the next; they begin at their appropriate level at the time they join Cub Scouts. Each of the ranks in Cub Scouting has its own requirements that are age appropriate, so earning a rank below a Cub Scout’s current grade is not permitted. As a Cub Scout advances through the ranks, the requirements get more challenging, to match the new skills and abilities they have learned.

The Advancement Trail

Effective June 1, 2024

Each rank has different age-appropriate requirements to aid their learning, growth, and development through Cub Scouts. View the chart which follows and/or click on the categories below to expand each section and learn more about each rank's requirements for advancement.