Granada Hills Charter High School (GHC) won the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon securing the tenth title in the past 15 years. This year, the competition took place in Garden Grove California from April 23 to 25.
Academic Decathlon is a competition combining a series of ten events centered on science, literature, art, music, social science, economics, and mathematics. This year, the theme was the Roaring Twenties, focusing on the Jazz Age, the U.S. economy in 1920, the introduction of electricity, and more. The competitions consist of multiple choice exams, essays, speeches, and the Super Quiz relay.
This year’s team was led by two returners, seniors Tale Chen and Christopher Gonzalez. It also included first year members sophomores Serena Chon and Benjamin Cruz; juniors Emmanuel Dominguez, and Mia Salinas; and seniors Saadan Atif, Santiago Garcia-Uriarte, and Francesca Molina. Head Coach Tyler Lee and Assistant Coaches Bennett Cohen and Raji Toleco helped lead the team to victory. The team is split into three groups based on the student’s GPA: honors (3.8 and above), scholastic (3.3-3.7), and varsity (3.2 and below).
This season began with a rough start when GHC lost in the regional finals for the private and charter school division. Yet, due to their high score, the team was able to advance to the California State Championships as a wild card entry where they beat El Camino Real Charter High School to advance to the National Championships.
In the National Championships, the team scored over 52,000 points, 3,000 points more than second place. Chon received second place in honors, Garia-Uriarte won second place in scholastic, Gonzalez achieved first place in varsity, and Dominguez received second place in varsity.
“After losing the regional competition, they encouraged each other and supported each other to make sure they had a different outcome at State and Nationals,” Coach Lee said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of students to spend the year with.”
Beyond just striving for excellence, the team also focused on two pillars: hard work and good character. Their hard work was built in a shared sense of purpose, discipline, and effort. Each member also showed kindness, humility, positivity, and integrity. This team didn’t just compete to win, but competed to grow.
“When you have all nine members exhibiting these values and working toward a common goal, you’re a winner no matter the result at the competition,” Lee said. “This group of nine students sacrificed a lot this semester toward this common goal. They practiced every day after school and gave up their entire winter break and spring break to bring home another national championship.”