Three additional local high schools will join the winner of the Ventura County Academic Decathlon in the statewide competition to be held in March in Sacramento. Calabasas High School was guaranteed a spot in the state competition after winning at the county level. And now, La Reina, Oxnard and Westlake High Schools have been invited to participate as “at-large” competitors. At-large teams are selected to fill open spots in the state contest based on how well they scored in their county competitions.

“Having four high schools represent Ventura County in the California Academic Decathlon is a great honor,” said Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth. “It’s a testament to the hard work and countless hours of preparation students and coaches dedicate to the competition.”

The California Academic Decathlon will be held on March 23 and 24 in Sacramento. The winner of the state competition heads to the United States Academic Decathlon. Ventura County teams have made it to the nationals six times, placing second in 2000 and 2002, and taking first place in 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009. A list of past winners is available here.

More About the Academic Decathlon

The Ventura County Academic Decathlon, coordinated by the Ventura County Office of Education, is an opportunity for local high school students to compete against like teams of students countywide. Students compete in ten academic events: essay writing, speech, interview, art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, music, science and social science. This year’s competition was held on January 27 and February 3.

High schools fielding teams this year were: Adolfo Camarillo High School, Buena High School, Calabasas High School, Channel Islands High School, Fillmore High School, Hueneme High School, La Reina High School, Moorpark High School, Newbury Park High School, Oak Park High School, Oxnard High School, Pacifica High School, Rancho Campana High School, Rio Mesa High School, Royal High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Ventura High School and Westlake High School.

A unique aspect of the competition is that it’s designed to include students from all academic backgrounds. A team consists of nine full-time students from the 9th through 12th grades at the same high school. Each team is comprised of three students whose grade point average falls into the “A” category, three students in the “B” category and three students in the “C” category. More information about the Ventura County Academic Decathlon is available here.