Granada Hills Charter High School wins U.S. Academic Decathlon

Medals clanked around their necks as winners from the nine-member decathlon team at Granada Hills Charter High School strutted onto campus Tuesday, met by cheers and claps, bringing home yet another U.S. Academic Decathlon victory.

It's the tenth time in 15 years that GHC has won the U.S. Academic Decathlon, and this 2025-26 win did not come easy. The team lost the regional finals in Los Angeles County, but went on to compete for the state title, winning it, and then to face off with other schools from around the country.

Their final score reached over 52,000 points, more than 3,000 points higher than the second-place team. With a theme of "The Roaring Twenties," the competition includes multiple-choice exams in various subjects as well as essays and speeches.

"I really love the fact that we've gotten all these people out here today to celebrate not only our achievements, but the achievements of our school as a whole. So I think it's a really beautiful thing," senior Christopher Gonzalez said.

The competition culminates with a fast-paced Super Quiz relay.

"To be able to work through that kind of obstacle was a big challenge, but I'm really proud of our entire team for doing that, because especially after we lost regionals," senior Tale Chen said. "It took a lot of strength to keep going and we did it, and I'm honestly just incredibly proud of this group of people, they're amazing people, and also my coaches."