Contact: Nicole Shina, Academic Decathlon Coordinator for San Diego County Phone: (858) 292-3850 - Fax: (858) 569-3126 - E-mail:nshina@sdcoe.net
Description: The Academic Decathlon tests and rewards academic strengths at both the team and individual level in ten events: six written tests in music, art, language and literature, mathematics, economics, and social science, and three communications tests-an interview, an essay and a prepared and impromptu speech. The final Decathlon event is the Super Quiz, a College-Bowl-type competition in which students compete as teams.
A team consists of full-time students from the tenth through twelfth grades of the same high school. (see Eligibility and Team Requirements for further information).
Students are coached by high school teachers who devote many hours in helping students prepare for the rigors of competition day. In addition, hundreds of business people and community members volunteer resources and time to make the annual Academic Decathlon a success.
Benefits to students
Academic Decathlon is a prestigious high school experience to list on the college application. Collaboration, written, and verbal skills and an appreciation for the arts are all part of the Decathlon experience. And it’s fun!
