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.
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.
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.”
