2024-2025 U.S. Academic Decathlon®
The U.S. Academic Decathlon® is excited to announce that the overall curricular theme for the 2024–2025 Academic Decathlon will be Our Changing Climate. The subject area outlines for the 2024–2025 Academic Decathlon are available here.
USAD requires all participants to purchase the official USAD Curriculum package to participate. If your school is new to USAD or has not participated in the past seven years, please complete the Curriculum Grant form.
2024–2025 Musical Works
The selected musical works for the 2024–2025 music curriculum are available here. Information on possible sources for the music is available here.
2025 National Testing Dates:
For the 2025 National competition, there we be four events that will take place online prior to the national competition dates. The essay, art, literature, and interview will take place online on April 17, 2025. All teams are required to participate in a practice set-up that will be available from 12:30 pm CDT on April 10, 2025 through 5:00 pm CDT on April 16, 2025. The speech event will take place in Des Moines, Iowa on May 1, 2025 and the remaining objective tests (economics, music, social science, mathematics, and science) will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 2, 2025.
Please refer to the schedule for more details: Important National Competition Dates 2025
2024-2025 Eligibility Guidelines
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The “focus semesters” for GPA computation for tenth, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade students go back two years prior to the present grade level of the contestant. GPA calculations for ninth-grade students include only their grades earned while in the eighth grade and in the summer session between eighth and ninth grade.
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The policy of including a minimum of 4 eligible courses no longer applies since we will have two years of GPA courses included on the calculation forms.
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The policy on P/NP and credit/no credit will return to the same as it was pre-pandemic.
Check out the video from the 2023 USAD Nationals in Frisco, Texas.
Check out the video from 2019 USAP Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee.
United States Academic Decathlon®
The United States Academic Decathlon® is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students.
Each high school enters a team of nine students: 3 Honor students (3.80 - 4.00 GPA), 3 Scholastic students (3.20 - 3.799 GPA), and 3 Varsity students (0.00 - 3.199 GPA).
United States Academic Pentathlon®
Get ready for the Decathlon: the rapidly-growing Pentathlon program allows middle school students a chance to start experiencing the benefits of Academic Decathlon ahead of schedule.
Academic Pentathlon is comprised of five academic events: Literature, Mathematics, Fine Arts, Science and Social Science.
Click here for more information.
USAD Individual Competition
The United States Academic Decathlon Individual Competition has been created to help individuals achieve their individual academic goals.
Home school students, alternative school students, team alternates, and Academic Decathlon team members, this competition is for you!
USAD International Competition
USAD continues to recruit new schools for the International Competition. All English speaking International Schools are encouraged to participate. Teams for the International Academic Decathlon are created in the same manner as for the Academic Decathlon. Click here to find out how to get involved!