Students from Gordon H. Beatty Middle School pose for a group photo during the 2026 Orange County Academic Pentathlon competition. (Photo courtesy of Beatty Middle School) 
Students from Gordon H. Beatty Middle School in the Buena Park School District pose for a photo during the 2026 Orange County Academic Pentathlon competition. (Photo courtesy of Beatty Middle School) 
Students and coaches from McGarvin Intermediate School in the Garden Grove Unified School District pose for a photo during the 2026 Orange County Academic Pentathlon competition at Savanna High School. (Photo courtesy of McGarvin Intermediate School) 
Students from Hosler Middle School in the Lynwood Unified School District pose for a photo. (Photo courtesy of Hosler Middle School) 
Students from Fairmont Schools’ Historic Anaheim campus pose for a photo ahead of the 2026 United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals. (Photo courtesy of Fairmont Schools’ Historic Anaheim)
Quick look: Four middle school teams from Orange County will compete in the United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s competition theme, “The Roaring Twenties,” challenges students in grades six through eight across five academic subjects.
Four middle school teams from Orange County are traveling to Nashville, Tennessee this week to compete in the United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals, a scholastic competition that challenges students across multiple academic disciplines.
Representing Orange County are sixth-grade students from Gordon H. Beatty Middle School in the Buena Park School District; seventh- and eighth-grade teams from McGarvin Intermediate School in the Garden Grove Unified School District; and an eighth-grade team from Fairmont Schools’ Historic Anaheim campus.
The Orange County Academic Pentathlon competition also welcomed teams from outside the county, including the seventh-grade team from Hosler Middle School in the Lynwood Unified School District, both of which also advanced to the national finals.
The teams earned national qualifying spots after ranking among the top-scoring teams in California within their respective grade divisions.
A multidisciplinary academic challenge
Each year, students in grades six through eight study an interdisciplinary curriculum centered around a common theme. This year’s topic, “The Roaring Twenties,” is explored through fine arts, literature, mathematics, science and social science.
The 2025-26 literature curriculum also includes the novel “Born to Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America” by Steve Sheinkin.
The national competition includes written tests, essays and the Super Quiz, a fast-paced team event held in person. Teams are composed of students from three grade-point average categories — Honor, Scholastic and Varsity — designed to provide opportunities for students across a range of academic achievement levels.
Locally, the Orange County Department of Education facilitates the regional Academic Pentathlon competition through its Academic Events and Recognition Programs team.
This year’s Orange County competition was held from March 25 through May 2, with students completing essays and objective tests at their school sites before gathering in person for the Super Quiz and awards ceremonies at Savanna High School and Irvine High School.
More information about the United States Academic Pentathlon is available at usad.org.
For more information on how to start an academic decathlon or pentathlon program at your school, contact Kristin Rigby, OCDE coordinator of academic events and recognition programs, at 714-966-4435 or KRigby@ocde.us.