Welcome to Arizona Academic Decathlon

Are you a Coach?

Access competition info, handbook, guidelines, clinics, & forms

Are you a Decathlete?

Learn more about competitions, student scholarships & clinics and access resources

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Volunteers needed! Explore our training & registration information

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WHAT IS ARIZONA ACADEMIC DECATHLON?

The Arizona Academic Decathlon is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students. Just like its ancient Greek counterpart, the Academic Decathlon® consists of ten events; success doesn’t come from being the best in a single event, it comes from mastering ten varied skills and disciplines.

Every Academic Decathlon competition, whether it’s a regional, state or national final follows the same format. Students compete in art, economics, essay, interview, language & literature, mathematics, music, science, social science, and speech. And teams compete in Super Quiz, the public quiz-show-style culmination of each competition. Each school enters a team of nine decathletes: three Honor students, three Scholastic students, and three Varsity students.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Nearly 200 volunteers are needed to make each competition a success. Volunteers are trained prior to the competition, but training materials are also provided in advance. Each coach expands our philosophy of encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding academic endeavor, fostering the all-important team concept in their school.

Sponsors also play a vital role in the ongoing success of the Arizona Academic Decathlon Association (AADA). We are funded entirely by corporate, foundation, and personal donations and are grateful for our sponsors’ support in continuing this program for Arizona students.

2026-2027 THEME

The United States Academic Decathlon’s curriculum is an interdisciplinary curriculum in which a selected theme is integrated across six different subject areas: art, economics, literature, music, science, and social science.  Students also study mathematics and participate in essay-writing, speech, and interview events. The 2026-2027 theme is “Journeys of Transformation: An Exploration of Travel and Transportation.”

September 2026

11sepAll DayCoaches' Clinic 2026

January 2027

19janAll Day2027 Online Regional Events

jan2027 Regional CompetitionsRegional Competition

Helios Education Foundation

Salt River Project  

NAU

COMPETITION RESULTS

01
May
2026 National Competition Results
The USAD National competition took place in Garden Grove, California on April 23-25. Our state champion, Hamilton, placed 11th in Division I (highest scoring teams across the US) with a score of 42,882. Basha placed 13th in Division I with a score of 42,075. Canyon del Oro placed 5th in Division II with a score [...]
Posted in: All Competitions, Nationals,
12
Mar
2026 Arizona State Competition Results
The 41st annual state competition was held at Mountain View High School in Mesa on March 6-7, 2026. 25 teams and another 90 individuals from high schools across Arizona qualified for the competition. A total of 276 medals were given out to decathletes across 25 high schools. Congratulations to all of our competitors! Top 10 Teams: [...]
Posted in: All Competitions, State,
03
Feb
2026 Arizona Regional Competition Results
We would like to thank the regional coordinators and chairs for all of the time and effort they put into a great set of competitions. Congratulations to all of the decathletes competing! Results Region I - St. Johns (Cookie Overson)  1st: St. Johns - 33,382.1 2nd: Snowflake - 28,761.1 3rd: Show Low - 25,525.3 Highest [...]
Posted in: All Competitions, Regional,