California Academic Decathlon
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What is California
Academic Decathlon?
The California Academic Decathlon organizes events for high school students to compete in ten academic disciplines, promoting teamwork, learning, and personal growth. Open to students of all abilities, it fosters intellectual curiosity and resilience while equipping participants with skills for academic and life success. Schools receive resources for effective participation.
Announcements
Check out our announcements page to get updates on what is happening with the California Academic Decathlon. Or click the button below to visit the page.
Check out our announcements page to learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Academic Decathlon was featured in this year’s Rose Parade alongside our valued partner: the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside celebrating this year’s theme: Kindness Is Free. Visit our announcements page to learn more about this year’s float.
It’s that time of year again! As we inch closer to the state competition, we are starting to look for volunteers. Check out our announcements page to learn more!
This Year's Theme
The 2026–2027 Academic Decathlon theme is Journeys of Transformation: An Exploration of Travel and Transportation, an interdisciplinary exploration of how movement, migration, travel, and transportation have shaped people, cultures, societies, and the natural world. Students will explore journeys and quests through literature, with The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro as the featured long work, while art and music examine themes of travel and transportation. The curriculum also includes general mathematics, geometry, and an introduction to differential calculus; economics with an emphasis on the economics of transportation; science focused on animal behavior and migration; and social science examining human geography and migration. This year’s theme invites students to consider how journeys, whether physical, cultural, or personal, can create transformation while connecting ideas across history, science, literature, the arts, and the world around us.
Countdown to State!
This year’s state competition is going to be March 18-21, 2027 at the Santa Clara Marriott. Click the button below to learn more about the state competition and region competition dates.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Click below to donate to the California Academic Decathlon or become a sponsor to support our programs and mission.