​​The Alaska Academic Decathlon (high school) and Pentathlon (middle school) programs are among the premier scholastic competitions on both the state and national level. Aligned with National Standards and Alaska’s Educational Challenge, the curriculum for both programs transfer across core content areas to increase student performance in Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and the Arts (other subjects for high school students include Economics, Essay, Speech and Interview).

Each team is comprised of students with varying abilities and GPAs (Honors: 3.8+, Scholastic: 3.2-3.8, Varsity: 0-3.2). Students compete individually against students in their same category and as a team. Each year the curriculum is based on a different theme.

Each program holds a State Competition where students can earn medals, trophies and scholarships. The winning teams represent Alaska at the U.S. Academic Decathlon and Pentathlon National Competitions. Decathletes and Pentathletes with the highest overall scores are eligible to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships, including scholarships specific to the University of Alaska.