The 2026 da Vinci Decathlon

May was especially amazing. Here’s why: At the da Vinci Decathlon Competition hosted by Knox Grammar School. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.

It tests pure mental agility and adaptability, requiring students to decode complex ciphers, write original poems based on strict themes, ideate creative solutions to given problems, craft impromptu dramatic performances and many other tasks under tight time constraints.

The organisers of the competition publish the top 16 of each discipline as well as the top 16 overall for each grade. In 2026, students from the College’s Preparatory Schools at Bellevue Hill and Brighton, the Middle School and the Senior School placed in a total of 24 disciplines – with Year 5 Bellevue Hill 13th overall in the Year 5 category and Year 10 16th overall in their Year 10 category.

To watch these young men operate was a masterclass in applied intellect. However, their victory is not an isolated incident (many of students from Years 5 to 11 performed so well – 7 ‘top 5’ finishes in total across all campuses); rather, it is a highly visible example of a much deeper academic reality at our school.

Recently, we received external feedback regarding our AAS (Academic Assessment Services) data, and the findings are incredibly affirming. The evaluators specifically analysed our “reasoning results”, the detailed, objective data measuring student performance in abstract, numerical, and verbal reasoning. What they found is that our reasoning scores have remained incredibly stable at Scots, at a highly competitive level, for four consecutive years now.

In a broader educational landscape where we see many schools shifting their focus toward rote learning and surface-level memorisation, we have deliberately maintained a rigorous, unwavering focus on critical thinking. We are teaching our boys how to think, not just what to think.

The ability to reason logically, adapt to new information, and solve the unexpected is the true hallmark of a robust education.

Dr Rob Loe
Deputy Principal – Academics