USAP

Welcome Letter

You’ve heard about the Academic Decathlon, but now let’s talk about the Academic Pentathlon—a program that is just as important, exciting, and rewarding!

As a Pentathlete, you’ll dive into an exciting new theme each year. Past themes have included World War II, India, and The Roaring Twenties. You’ll then master five subjects connected to that theme, challenging yourself to learn, grow, and compete in ways you never imagined.

Academic Pentathlon not only helps prepare you for our high school Academic Decathlon program, but it also pushes you to reach your limits in a fun and exciting way. Along the way, you’ll build confidence, discover new interests, and make lifelong friendships with your teammates and coaches.

Pentathlon is all about teamwork. Students from different grade levels work together, learn from one another, and encourage each other every step of the way. You’ll never be learning alone—and you’ll never be reaching your goals alone.

And, of course, there’s the competition! You’ll have opportunities to medal individually in different subjects while also working together to bring home team trophies. Every year, teams compete for the chance to advance to Nationals and experience the excitement of competing in a new and exciting location.

Challenge yourself. Find your team. Discover what you’re capable of. Become a Pentathlete!

Amy Dosch
Executive Director

What is the United States Academic Pentathlon?

The United States Academic Pentathlon (USAP) is a dynamic five-event competition designed for middle school students. It mirrors the Academic Decathlon in providing a comprehensive learning experience through five academic events based on a unique theme each year.

The U.S. Academic Pentathlon is excited to announce that the overall curricular theme for 2026–2027 will be Journeys of Transformation: An Exploration of Travel and Transportation.

• Science: The science topic will be an introduction to animal behavior and migration.
• Literature: The literature curriculum will explore journeys, quests, and travel in literature and will include critical reading, one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The long work of literature will be The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) Paperback – Unabridged, April 1, 2006 ISBN-13: ‎ 9781368051477
• Fine Arts: The fine arts curriculum is a combination of art and music. The art curriculum will explore themes of travel and transportation in art.
• Social Science: The social science topic will be an introduction to human geography and migration.
• Mathematics: The mathematics curriculum will cover general mathematics, geometry, and an introduction to differential calculus.

Competition Format and Standards: Participants do not master a single subject but several subject areas. Students engage in both individual and team competitions, mastering themes developed according to national content standards. Prior to the regional, state and national competitions, an essay will be written and will become 40% of the student's Literature grade. The Essay will demonstrate not just what you’ve learned but how powerfully you can present an idea. All events follow the same format, whether it is an online competition or an on-site competition.

Testing and Participation: Pentathlon testing is conducted online, allowing students to participate from their respective schools. Notably, the National competition is an exception where tests are conducted in person. USAP provides login information and testing directions a few days before the online assessments, including Scrimmage, Regional, and State competitions. In terms of team composition, Academic Pentathlon teams should ideally consist of a minimum of six and a maximum of nine team members. Team scores are determined by summing the top two student scores in each GPA category, adhering to GPA guidelines. The pinnacle of achievement is a perfect team score of 30,000 points, calculated by considering the scores of six students participating in five events, each with a maximum of 1000 points. Your school can have a team, or students may compete as individuals. (Team Registration and Individual Registration)

Recognition: Following the state meet, trophies will be awarded to the top teams, plus medals to individual event winners. All state competition champions will be invited to the U.S. Academic Pentathlon® National Competition. All test questions will be derived from the USAP curriculum.