Three juniors in the Great Falls Public Schools system have achieved what very few students nationwide accomplish — perfect scores on the ACT. The ACT is a standardized test used for admissions to some colleges in the United States.
Tommy Lynch reports - watch:
According to the ACT website, the average act score for Montanans in 2024 was 19.5.
Not everyone is a natural born test taker, but there are a few in Great Falls who have it down to a science.
Great Falls High School's Lex Leatham and CM Russell High School’s Ian Arthur and Kye Wise all scored a perfect 36 on their ACT test.
Arthur said, “I know I was prepared. I know I did the work. So going into that, I knew it was going to be a decent score no matter what.”
These three are among an elite group. Nationwide, less than three tenths of a percent of all test takers ace the ACT. in 2022 that was roughly 3300 out of 1.3 million students. It is safe to say the perfect scores did not come easy.
Wise said, “I did not expect this.”
All three students have 4.0 Grade Point Averages, and while they prepared for the test, they did not over-study.
Wise said, “You don't need a lot of prep to go into, as long as you understand what the test looks like.”
But all that studying worked. All three are now celebrities of sorts.
Leatham said, “It's weird, like coming to school the next day, and then people that I've never spoken to are like, are you the one who got a 36?”
Their scores are proof that hard work pays off.
Arthur said, “It's nice. It's kind of some security.”
