Granada Hills Charter High School won the 2026 California Academic Decathlon this weekend and will attempt to extend California’s streak of 22 consecutive national titles next month.
The 2026 California Academic Decathlon State Championship, hosted by the California Academic Decathlon Association was held March 20-22 at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel.
“This enriching experience will instill lifelong skills and lessons during your formative and foundational years, teamwork, determination, and perseverance,” Michelle Chen, a California Academic Decathlon alumna and board member, said in a statement. “Embrace the opportunity to acknowledge all your hard work and effort. It is a tremendous honor to compete at this prestigious level.”
An awards ceremony was held Sunday in which state officials announced other California schools that will advance to the national competition: El Camino Real Charter High School, John Marshall High School, Hallmark Academy and University High School.
El Camino Real Charter High School has won the last three U.S. Academic Decathlons, and either El Camino or Granada Hills has won every national competition since 2009, when Moorpark High School, in Ventura County,
won.
No competition was held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The last time a school from outside California won the national championship was in 2002, when Waukesha West High School, in Wisconsin, took the crown.
The 2026 USAD National Competition will take place April 23-25 in Garden Grove.
The California Academic Decathlon brings together top-performing high school teams from across the state to compete in a series of tests, speeches and interviews. This year’s theme was “The Roaring Twenties.”
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