Students from James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles are taking part Saturday in the California Academic Decathlon, which got underway Thursday in Santa Clara and will culminate with awards Sunday.
Garfield, the Los Angeles Unified School District regional champion, is among eight LAUSD schools competing in the state championship, being held at the Santa Clara Marriott.
The team earned the Superintendent’s Trophy last month at the district’s 45th annual Academic Decathlon, scoring 44,336.10 points to lead all competitors.
The Garfield team consisted of Derek Dominguez, Ana Santos, Davian Valladares, Joseph Villa, Liana Lopez, Julie Lopez, David Ventura, Kimberly Palacios and Briana Zuniga.
Garfield’s win follows back-to-back titles by Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in 2023 and 2024 and a victory by Verdugo Hills High School last year. After not qualifying for state in 2025, Garfield returned to capture the district title.
The school is also known for teacher Jaime Escalante, portrayed in the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver.”
Escalante, who taught math at Garfield from 1974 to 1991, inspired his students to learn calculus, challenging stereotypes of what young people from working class backgrounds could achieve academically.
Garfield High math teacher Brian Cheng, who coaches the school’s Academic Decathlon team, said the victory has resonated throughout the community.
“That has been the main talk of East L.A., just showing how a team that didn’t even qualify for state competition last year can pull off a win and get first place,” Cheng told the digital news outlet The LA Local. “I think a lot of that has to do with that symbol that Jaime Escalante is.”
Also representing LAUSD at the state competition are Abraham Lincoln High School, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, Van Nuys High School, John Marshall High School, Bell High School, The Science Academy STEM Magnet and Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy.
Students are competing across multiple academic disciplines centered on this year’s theme, “The Roaring Twenties.”
The California Academic Decathlon brings together top-performing high school teams from across the state to compete in a series of tests, speeches and interviews.