Two Cary-Grove Students Score a Perfect 36 on ACT

Cary-Grove High School senior Kevin Wilde was completely satisfied with his ACT composite score the very first time he took the test.

When ACT exam results were posted, Wilde learned he scored a perfect 36 on test. 

Fellow Cary-Grove student Michael Spoerl wasn't quite happy with the 35 he earned on his fist ACT exam. Therefore, Spoerl decided to take the test again, and that second time around delivered the results Spoerl was seeking: a perfect 36 as well.

Wilde and Spoerl are two of three students from Community High School District 155 to ace the test. The third student, whose name has not yet been approved for publication, attends Crystal Lake South High School.

District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma said, in all, 196 students from throughout the district's four high schools had ACT scores over 30. According to the ACT website, a score of 30 or higher places a student in the 9th percentile of all test-takers, Puma said.

A perfect 36 ACT composite score puts a student in the top one-tenth of one percent, according to act.org.

"In other words, we have three ultra-elite and nearly two hundred who are in the elite top 5% nationally," Puma said. "In total, about 12% of our current seniors scored higher than 30 on their ACT." 

The ACT exam is a standardized test measuring high school achievement and college readiness. The final composite score averages four parts of the ACT exam, which includes English, Math, Reading and Science. An optional writing exam portion is now also offered along with the ACT.