Cub Scout Levels & Ranks (Kindergarten to 5th Grade)
Grade-Level Dens
The Cub Scout Ranks
Cub Scouts are organized into grade-level dens. Throughout the year, each den works together to earn age-appropriate adventure loops and pins, culminating in their yearly rank.
Kindergarten
Lion
Kindergarten • Age 5–6
Introduction to scouting through active play, simple games, and parent-child teamwork. Lions wear a casual blue T-shirt.
1st Grade
Tiger
1st Grade • Age 6–7
Exploring family traditions, neighborhood discovery walks, basic outdoor safety, and earning adventure belt loops with parent partners.
2nd Grade
Wolf
2nd Grade • Age 7–8
Learning knot tying, beginner first aid, hiking trails, physical fitness, and building things from wood and recycled materials.
3rd Grade
Bear
3rd Grade • Age 8–9
Pocketknife safety (Whittling Chip), outdoor cooking, discovering local wildlife and constellations, and building Pinewood Derby racers.
4th Grade
Webelos
4th Grade • Age 9–10
“We’ll Be Loyal Scouts” — Transitioning into youth-led patrol leadership, campfire cooking, and advanced outdoor survival skills.
5th Grade
Arrow of Light
5th Grade • Age 10–11
The highest rank in Cub Scouting. Scouts prepare for transition to Scouts BSA troops through overnight camping and leadership badges.
What Comes After Arrow of Light?
Cub Scouts is designed specifically for elementary-aged kids. The final rank in the program—the Arrow of Light—prepares 5th graders to transition into a Scouts BSA troop, where older youth take the lead on their own camping trips and leadership journeys.