About one-quarter of 1% of all students who take the ACT earn a perfect score of 36.
Reagan High School senior Avaneesh Pal is one of them.
“It was a surprise for sure. But from the beginning I felt pretty confident about how I did. A few questions I felt iffy about, but overall, I felt like I did well. I gave it my all and it paid off.”
The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. It’s safe to say that students who earn a 36 have mastered the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
Avaneesh hopes to one day become an aerospace engineer. He is applying for the Air Force ROTC scholarship while he weighs his options for college.
As a member of the Reagan JROTC Battalion, Avaneesh says he has learned to embrace hard work and goal setting. It’s also helped him juggle academics with extracurriculars.
“Colonel Livingston and Master Sergeant Tijerina for sure made a positive impact on me,” said Avaneesh. “After joining JROTC, I became more of a hard worker and learned how to balance academics with other activities.”
In the graduating class of 2022, just over 3,300 students out of 1.34 million earned a 36 on the ACT. Avaneesh is in good company, and his dreams for the future have a solid foundation thanks to his hard work and the many teachers who inspire and support our students #theNEISDway.
