RIVERSIDE – Today’s students are passionate about caring for the environment and the world they will inherit, and those topics will serve as the thematic focus at the 42nd Annual Riverside County Academic Decathlon that starts with a virtual competition on January 16, 2025, and ends with the in-person Super Quiz and awards ceremony on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
“The Academic Decathlon is a great opportunity for students in Riverside County to match their well-rounded academic and critical thinking skills with teamwork and collaboration,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “The beauty and grandeur of the earth and our environment have long been the focus of the arts, music, science, literature, and history, and will provide fertile ground for finding meaning and exploring intellectual connections throughout the competition.”
Riverside County students from 11 high schools are set to compete in the multi-day event organized by the Riverside County Office of Education. Academic Decathlon, like its ancient Greek counterpart, is a 10-event contest. Participants demonstrate their academic strength by completing seven written tests, writing an essay, delivering a prepared and an impromptu speech, and participating in an interview. The Super Quiz is a team event held before a live audience. Each team is composed of nine students, three from each grade point category, and includes three Honor (GPA 3.80 - 4.00), three Scholastic (GPA 3.20 - 3.799), and three Varsity (GPA 0.00 - 3.199) students.
On the first day of this year’s competition, Thursday, January 16, students will participate in essay writing. On Saturday, January 18, students will compete via object tests. Both the essays and objective tests will take place virtually. On Saturday, February 1, 2025, teams will participate in the speech and interview portion of the competition followed by the popular Super Quiz—the only event open to the public (other than the awards ceremony). The Super Quiz will start at 1:00 p.m., and the awards ceremony will follow at 4 p.m. Both events will be held at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center (4280 Brockton Ave., Riverside, CA).
The awards ceremony will feature individual accolades and the announcement of the team that will represent Riverside County at the California Academic Decathlon on March 20-23, 2025, in Santa Clara. The California state champion advances to the United States Academic Decathlon from May 1-3, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.
In the 2024 Riverside County Academic Decathlon, Western Center Academy from the Hemet Unified School District was named the champion for the second consecutive year. Finishing second was Beaumont High School, followed by Elsinore School in third, Hemet High School in fourth, and Great Oak High School in fifth. Western Center Academy was also a winner at the 2024 California Academic Decathlon and advanced to the national competition.
For 2025, the 11 Riverside County high school teams competing include:
- Beaumont High School (two teams) - Beaumont USD
- Elsinore High School - Lake Elsinore USD
- Western Center Academy - Hemet USD
- Heritage High School - Perris Union High SD
- Great Oak High School - Temecula Valley USD
- Valley View High School - Moreno Valley USD
- Vista Del Lago High School - Moreno Valley USD
- John W. North High School - Riverside USD
- Corona High School - Corona-Norco USD
- Temescal Canyon High School - Lake Elsinore USD
Riverside County Academic Decathlon historical results:
- 2024 – Western Center Academy
- 2023 – Western Center Academy
- 2022 – Elsinore
- 2021 – Elsinore
- 2020 – Elsinore
- 2019 – Elsinore
- 2018 – Elsinore
- 2017 – Elsinore
- 2016 – West Valley
- 2015 – West Valley
- 2014 – Hemet
- 2013 – West Valley
- 2012 – West Valley
- 2011 – West Valley
- 2010 – West Valley
- 2009 – West Valley
- 2008 – Hemet
- 2007 – Hemet
- 2006 – Hemet
