Alaska has one of the worst graduation rates in the country along with a mental health crisis among youth. The need for scholastic programs that provide small group engagement while creating micro-cultures within the larger school environment is crucial in Alaska, even in rural areas. The Alaska Academic Decathlon brings together high school students to compete in ten subjects based on a yearly theme. The program builds valuable social and emotional skills while celebrating academic success. The Alaska Academic Pentathlon is the middle school companion program that challenges participants in five subjects based on the same yearly theme.

Most importantly, both programs engage students of all abilities, often attracting typical non-joiners or underperformers. Each team is required to include students from the following categories: Honor - 3.8+ GPA; Scholastic - 3.2-3.79 GPA; and Varsity 0.00-3.19 GPA. Students compete with students in their same category for medals, trophies, and scholarships as well as competing as an integral part of a team.

Both the middle and high school programs culminate in state competitions. For high school students, that event takes place on the University of Alaska Anchorage Campus (UAA) over four days. Teams from around the state converge on the campus to take tours, interact with UAA faculty and staff, participate in a college/job fair, and compete with other high school students.

Thanks to our partnership with Alaska 529 ($40,000 in annual scholarships) and the University of Alaska (host of the high school state competition along with offering $9,000 in scholarships), these programs provide $49,000 in annual scholarships, some of which are based on performance and others on coach recommendations along with rural student only opportunities.