Call it a dynasty in the making—El Camino Real Charter High School clinched the California Academic Decathlon State Championship title this weekend, putting it one victory away from its third straight national title–its 11th overall.
The Woodland Hills-based school earned 53,071 points during the March 20-23 competition at the Santa Clara Marriott, beating its closest contender, Granada Hills Charter High School, by a margin of 3,137.7 points.
El Camino Real has a long history of success in Academic Decathlon. This year marks the team’s third consecutive state championship and its 15th overall. The school has also claimed 10 national titles—more than any other school in the nation—and is now aiming for its 11th.
“This team embodies a true spirit of collaboration, collectively sharing responsibility for each other’s performance. Their teamwork enhances productivity and fosters a feeling of family,” Stephanie Franklin, the team’s veteran head coach and an English teacher at El Camino, said in an email Monday, March 24.
According to El Camino Real Charter High School, the recent win also adds to California’s legacy in the competition. Teams from the state have captured the national title for 21 consecutive years.
Franklin and her students are heading to the United States Academic Decathlon National Competition, held May 1-3 in Des Moines, Iowa, where it will represent California among dozens of top-performing teams from across the country.
Representing the school at nationals are the following team members: Ashley Acosta, Enoch Chan, Darren Du, Brendan Luna, Bahar Mirzajanzadeh, Yash Singhal, Emily Simms, Leanne Warren and Zarah Zuhair.
The Academic Decathlon is a nationwide educational competition designed for high school students of all academic achievement levels. Each year, the United States Academic Decathlon selects a central theme that is integrated across six subject areas: art, economics, literature, music, science and social science.
This year’s theme is “Our Changing Climate”.
Students compete in five core events: an essay, an interview, a prepared speech, knowledge tests, and the crowd favorite—Super Quiz, which takes place in front of a live audience.