El Rancho High School did an incredible job at the 2026 Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon, finishing fourth place out of dozens of teams from across the county. The Academic Decathlon tests students in ten subjects like math, science, social science, art, music, language and literature, essay, speech, and interviews. This tough event pushes students to do their best, and El Rancho showed strong teamwork and hard work throughout the competition.

The team competed against about 61 other schools and earned a total team score that put them in fourth place overall. Placing that high meant El Rancho’s decathletes didn’t just do well in a few subjects — they showed strength across the board. Because of their score, El Rancho is one of the schools that qualified to move on to the California State Academic Decathlon next, where they’ll compete with the best teams from all over the state.

Students on the team spent months studying hard after school, on weekends, and during class time to be ready. They learned lots of new material and practiced speaking and writing skills to prepare for all parts of the contest. Their coaches also played a big role by helping them stay focused and confident during the event.

Families, teachers, and classmates are proud of what the El Rancho team accomplished. Finishing fourth in Los Angeles County is a big deal and shows how much effort the students put in. Now they’re looking forward to the state competition, where they will get a new chance to shine and show off all the hard work they’ve done.