Folsom High School, from the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, is the winner of the 2020 Sacramento County Academic Decathlon competition. The team now advances to the State Finals, which will be held March 27–30 in Sacramento.
Bella Vista High School (San Juan USD) finished second in this year’s county competition, and Mira Loma High School (San Juan USD) placed third. The high scores earned by the Bella Vista and Mira Loma teams will also allow them to compete in the state competition. California’s winning team advances to the U.S. Academic Decathlon, April 30–May 2 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon announced individual and team winners of the 40th Annual Sacramento County Academic Decathlon (held February 1 at Folsom High School) at an awards ceremony last night. The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) honored the top scorers at the Sac State Grand Ballroom where Kevin Riggs, Randall Communications Senior Vice President, was the emcee.
SAFE Credit Union provided $10,000 in scholarships, which were distributed among top-scoring students. SAFE CEO David Roughton and Chairman Terrance Tremelling were on hand to congratulate all participants.
Hundreds of Sacramento County high school students, along with students from Placer County, competed in this year’s County Academic Decathlon. Eighteen teams participated, including three from Placer County that competed amongst themselves and were scored separately.
To prepare for the Decathlon, students devoted months of study to the 2020 theme: In Sickness and In Health—An Exploration of Illness and Wellness. Students competed for awards in 10 demanding categories: economics, art, science, social science, language/literature, mathematics, music, essay, interview, and speech. Questions at the Super Quiz—a portion of the competition that is held in front of hundreds of cheering fans—were posed by Capital Public Radio Healthcare Reporter Sammy Caiola.
Each Decathlon team is comprised of nine high school students—three with “A” grade averages, three with “B” averages, and three with “C” averages—who compete against those with the same grade point average. Coaches are local high school teachers. Decathletes not only improve their academic achievement, they also learn about teamwork, goal-setting, planning, and leadership.
The Sacramento County Academic Decathlon is coordinated by SCOE staff and community volunteers. For additional information, call Craig Irish: (916) 228-2660.
Photos and Multimedia
- Team photo gallery
- Super Quiz photo gallery
- Awards Banquet photo gallery
- Awards Banquet video (YouTube)
Rankings and Results
Top-Scoring Teams
- 1st Place: Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova USD)
- 2nd Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan USD)
- 3rd Place: Mira Loma High School (San Juan USD)
- 4th Place: Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove USD)
- 5th Place: Vista del Lago High School (Folsom Cordova USD)
Schools Placing Highest in the Super Quiz
- 1st Place: Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova USD)
- 2nd Place: Mira Loma High School (San Juan USD)
- 3rd Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan USD)
Most Improved
- El Camino High School (San Juan USD)—based on overall improvement
Team Results
- List of overall team results and top-scoring team members
- Decathlon champions: winning teams 1979–present