It Always Starts With One.
Whether you’re a freshman who just heard about the program on Facebook, or a teacher who once competed yourself, you can be the person who brings Academic Decathlon to life at a new school.
If you’re a student, look for friends who are up for a challenge. Remind those thinking about college applications that starting a new Academic Decathlon team can be just as compelling a story as winning a national championship. It’s not what you’ve won, but what you’ve done. Once you have your first recruits, you might set up a club. If so, you’ll want to find a faculty advisor - a coach. You’ll also need to ask your school for permission to try a new activity, especially if it involves travel.
If you’re a teacher, look for that first student, one with curiosity, drive, and a bit of spunk. He or she can help you find a second. And a third.
There are lot of rules to learn - about how scoring works, about how to divide up a team, about how to give a speech—but, for now, don’t sweat the details. You don’t need a complete team the first time you participate, and you don’t need to learn every subject or medal in every event. The big picture is simple: recruit a team to explore a theme, ten exciting events at a time. As you get organized, reach out to the program director in your state or someone at the national organization. You’ll be given more details on where and how to participate locally and help with meeting the eligibility guidelines. Your first event might be online, or it might be a regional meet bringing together dozens of schools. Either way, no matter how you do, you’ll have taken the first step toward mastering the program—and toward building a new tradition at your school.
Receive a grant to help get your team started! USAD offers schools that have not participated in the program for seven years a FREE curriculum package for the first year and a 50 percent discount on the curriculum package for the second year. Fill out the grant form and turn it into your state director to see if you qualify.
Please contact USAD or your state director for details.
Sponsors Make It Possible!
The non-profit United States Academic Decathlon® program would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors and partners in each state and at the national level. In acknowledgment of their contributions, we are excited to offer these companies and organizations opportunities to realize greater market exposure and goodwill among all our students and their families and communities.
Contact USAD to receive information on sponsorship opportunities at the national level. To sponsor local or state Academic Decathlon events, please contact your nearest state director.
We are grateful to our current sponsors and look forward to welcoming your company as the newest supporter of the United States Academic Decathlon. With your help, we will be able to continue providing enriching team academic opportunities to students of every background all across the United States.
Join The Team Behind The Teams
You don't have to be a high school student to be part of the Academic Decathlon community. All over the country, people volunteer to help make our events possible.
We depend on volunteers to fill roles including, but not limited to:
- Judging speeches
- Interviewing students
- Reading essays
- Proctoring Super Quiz™
- Setting up venues
- Guiding students
- Reaching out to the media
To find out how you can get involved at an event near you, please contact your state director. We're grateful to have such active volunteers, alumni and non-alumni alike, supporting the program; your enthusiasm is infectious for staff and students alike.
Academic Decathlon. USAD. AD. Acadec. Acadeca.
We may all have different names for the program, but we've shared the same amazing experience. That's why alumni of the program stay connected through college, in the workplace, and beyond, all over the country. We invite you to consider becoming an active part of our alumni network through these sources.
Get Connected
We find inspiration in all of our alumni and benefit tremendously from your feedback and ideas. Please fill out this form to get connected with USAD and be on the lookout for information regarding various USAD alumni opportunities.
Join the official United States Academic Decathlon® alumni group. It's a great place to get to know fellow alumni. You might find that some of them live in your college dorm, or are working down the hall from you. Or maybe you'll reconnect with that Decathlete you've been looking for since the ice cream social at your state competition in 1994.