Hart High Senior Top Scorer in Academic Decathlon; El Camino Takes City Title

For the second year in a row, a student from William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita achieved the top score in the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon, county officials announced Tuesday. A Woodland Hills school topped the city competition.

Kevin Armstrong, a Hart senior, earned 8,616 points out of a possible 10,000, beating more than 600 competitors from 69 schools around the county. His victory helped boost Hart to a second-place finish behind West High School of Torrance, which swept the county contest for the second consecutive year.

“It’s pretty impressive that Hart has the highest-scoring student for two consecutive years,” said Ann Bradley, spokeswoman for the county office of education.

In the Los Angeles city academic decathlon, El Camino Real High School of Woodland Hills edged University High School of West Los Angeles by five points, the narrowest margin in the 11-year history of the competition in city schools.

El Camino Real accumulated 48,250 of a possible 60,000 points, to University High School’s 48,245. Taft High School, also of Woodland Hills, was third with 47,460. El Camino also won the city competition in 1989.

The county winners were announced Tuesday night at an awards banquet in Montebello and the city awards were revealed at a banquet at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

As the county champion, West High moves on to the statewide decathlon in San Bernardino next March.

Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach and Claremont High School rounded out the county’s top five.

Canyon High School in Santa Clarita placed eighth, and Burbank High School came in ninth. Agoura and Calabasas high schools, in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, placed 22nd and 28th, respectively.