National Beta Club

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The National Beta Club is an honor society that is known for its high standard among younger students. It was founded in 1934 by Dr. John Harris and currently is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. The club has more than 7,700 clubs in 44 states and in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, The Bahamas, Germany, and Russia. There are more than 414,000 active Beta's in the Senior and Junior divisions. Its motto is "Let Us Lead By Serving Others." It is an honors program with an emphasis on community service. As of 2007, the state of Georgia has the largest number of active Beta's in the world.

The National Beta Club Senate authorized the institution of the Junior Division of the National Beta Club on July 22, 1961. The Junior Beta Club was originally chartered for 6th-9th grade students. In the summer of 1988, the Board of Directors agreed to allow 5th grade students into The Junior National Beta Club.

Some famous former Betas include President Bill Clinton, Miss America 2000 Heather French, Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, Miss America 1996 Shawntel Smith, anchorwoman Diane Sawyer, football great Herschel Walker and country music star Trisha Yearwood.

The National Beta club publishes two periodicals for members and sponsors. The Beta Journal is for members, and the Beta Reporter is for sponsors.