Academic Decathlon

Logo for El Dorado County Academic Decathlon

El Dorado County Academic Decathlon Competition

About the Academic Decathlon

The Academic Decathlon provides academic competitions which promote learning and academic excellence through teamwork. The Academic Decathlon is a competitive event modeled after the Olympics Decathlon, designed to stimulate academic achievement and honor "athletes of the mind". The competition provides students the opportunity to participate in an educational forum, which fosters a deep respect for knowledge, cooperation, and self-esteem.

A unique aspect of the Academic Decathlon is that it is designed to include students of all academic abilities and achievement levels. Comprehensive high schools on the Western Slope of El Dorado County field teams of nine competitors. Each team consists of three “A”, three “B”, and three “C or below” students. Each team member competes against other students in his/her division in ten events: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language/Literature, Math, Music, Science, Speech, and SuperQuiz. Overall team scores are calculated using the top two individual scores from each division.

Winning students receive medals – gold, silver and bronze. The winning team from our county competition travels to state competition. Teams who win state competitions go on to compete at the national level.

Funding for the El Dorado County Academic Decathlon comes from community sponsors and from the general fund of El Dorado Union High School District. The El Dorado County Office of Education funds a part-time program assistant.

Our county program has been successful for over 30 years due, in part, to the efforts of over 150 volunteers serving in various capacities: speech and interview judges, testing proctors, computer programmer, registrar or master of ceremonies. Contributions of time or any dollar amount are gratefully accepted. For more information regarding the Academic Decathlon or if you would like to volunteer, call the Communications office at 530-295-2457 or 530-295-2411.

Additional Resources

US Academic Decathlon Curriculum Guidelines

US Academic Decathlon Curriculum Standards

California Academic Decathlon Dates of Interest