At the IBO, four students from each participating nation compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In the United States, the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) oversees the selection of these four representatives through a competition called the United States Biology Olympiad (USABO). The CEE directs two academic programs, the Research Science Institute and the USABO, as part of its mission to promote science education across the United States and to encourage the development of future leaders of the science community.

As a result of the CEE, the USABO has been held annually since 2002. The competition involves three rigorous stages that reduce the number of eligible students from over 7000 to only 4. The first two rounds of the competition involve multiple choice and short answer tests, while the third round consists of an extensive training camp that concludes with the selection of the four representatives of the United States. These representatives then attend the IBO where they compete to honor both themselves and their country.

The four-member teams from the United States have performed extraordinarily well at past IBOs. All four members of the 2004 team received gold medals, a feat that had never before been accomplished in the history of the IBO. The United States teams in 2005 and 2006 were also commendable, both earning two gold medals and two silver medals.