“There are lots of wonderful academic competitions out there. You can go prove you’re the best writer, or the best orator, or the best speller. Academic Decathlon isn’t about any of that, though. It’s not about demonstrating how good a student you already are. It’s about daring to push your limits, to master college-level material and to practice skills, like public speaking, that might be new to you. It’s about the people you’ll meet along the way—the coaches who will mentor you, the competitors who will challenge you, and the teammates who will become your lifelong friends.” (Dr. Les Martisko)
What Is Academic Decathlon?
A competition of intellectual and academic curiosity! As Decathletes, you’ll learn about an exciting new theme each year, such as The Roaring Twenties! The competition centers around learning with TEN events.
Tests in: Math, Science, Economics, Social Science, Literature, Art, and Music
Speech (prepared & impromptu), Essay, Interview, and SUPER QUIZ!
The things you practice in Aca Deca will help you tremendously as you prepare to apply for and attend college.
What do we have to do?
Study, practice, and compete! It is more fun than it sounds like. Click here for details: https://www.usad.org/the-
There are study guides for the 7 test areas, and a novel to read. If you’re not a reader, there are videos to watch instead.
“You’ll learn to move an audience not just with facts and rhetoric, but with confidence. And you’ll never do any of this alone. You’ll be working with a team—a team composed of students with a wide range of grades but a single shared goal.” (Dr. Les Martisko)
When will we practice?
Thursdays after school in room 71 until 4pm. We have snacks! If you cannot make this time, but still want to participate, let us know and we will work with you. The time commitment and attendance are flexible.
When are Competitions?
Regionals the last weekend in January, held at Jefferson High School.
State is the first week in March, this year held just north of Des Moines. The State competition takes place over 2 days.
The 2026 national competition is in California.
What is the Classification System?
At competitions, a total of 9 students can compete for us, plus 3 alternates. But we break students down by unweighted GPA from their two previous school years and choose 3 from each level:
Honor (3): 3.80 – 4.00 GPA
Scholastic (3): 3.20 – 3.799 GPA
Varsity (3): 0.00 – 3.199 GPA
For more information contact Coach Chihak or one of the student leaders: Malick Sogur or Charity Oduor