It’s the season of giving, and, for many local students, it’s time to apply for college.
In recent weeks, students who took the ACT — or American College Test — received their composite scores, which they can submit to the schools of their interest. Six students from Orange County school districts earned the highest possible composite score of 36.
The chief executive officer of ACT notified the students about their perfect scores, which made them members of a very small group that comprises less than 1 percent of test-takers.
“Among U.S. high school graduates in the class of 2022, just 3,376 out of more than 1.34 million students who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36,” Janet Godwin, CEO of ACT, wrote. “Your exceptional scores will provide college and universities with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.”
Seohyun “Alice” Yoon, a junior from Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, was among those who aced the exam.
“We are so proud of our brilliant student Alice Yoon!” Dr. William V. Mynster, principal of Troy High School, said. “We are excited to see what else she will achieve in her time at Troy before she heads off to college.”
Nearby, in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, seniors Everett Anderson and James Robinson from Valencia High School, and junior Noelle Chen from El Dorado High School also received perfect scores.
“I am incredibly proud of our exceptional students who have achieved perfect or nearly perfect scores on the ACT exam,” Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss said. “Their dedication and hard work have truly paid off, and as they embark on the exciting journey of college applications, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a future filled with success and fulfillment in their chosen paths.”
Senior Chandler Green from Newport Harbor High School in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and 11th-grader Grace Regier from Trabuco Hills High School in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District also earned perfect scores.
According to data released by ACT, this year’s average composite score fell to 19.5 for the class of 2023.
Standardized test scores from SAT and ACT exams have historically been pivotal in college admissions, but a shift has occurred in recent years. Many schools now embrace test-optional or test-blind admissions policies. In 2022, both the University of California and California State University systems announced the removal of SAT and ACT tests from their undergraduate admissions process.
However, upon acceptance to a UC or CSU campus, these test scores can still play a role in placing students accurately in mathematics and written communication courses.
Recognizing high achievers
Joining these five high schoolers is a cohort of students whose scores also showcased exceptional aptitude and dedication to their studies. They earned scores that placed them in the top 10 percent of all ACT test-takers nationwide.
Radiyah Ahmed, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Olivia Ardaya, 11th grade – Sonora High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Audrey Bae, 12th grade – Fullerton Union High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Spencer Baek, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Tanish Basu, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Laurencia Chmielarski, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Eric Choi, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Shangeli Cole, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Elizabeth Cresap, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Vikrant Dhekial, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Elise Halewijn, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Jina Han, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Jason Hwang, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Garv Jain, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Neya Jakan, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Gio Kim, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Se Min Kim, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Carolyn Klansek, 12th grade – Sonora High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Brendan Lee, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Kaleb Lee, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Seongjae Lee, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Charlotte Liu, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Kaushik Madapati, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Aditya Mahna, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Nicholai Matias, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Ryan Qi, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Reagan Pearl, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Haeun Rho, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Nilay Sabade, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Irene Song, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Emily Sun, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Patricia Wu, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Sunwoo Yoo, 12th grade – Sunny Hills High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Serena You, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Jingwen Zheng, 12th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Takeo Zollinger, 11th grade – Troy High School (Fullerton Joint Union High School District)
Kelly Ha, 12th grade – Rancho Alamitos High School (Garden Grove Unified School District)
Nathan Mai, 12th grade – Garden Grove High School (Garden Grove Unified School District)
Hayley Dunn, 12th grade – Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos Unified School District)
Kaylah Rhee, 11th grade – Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos Unified School District)
Caleb Bloom, 12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Anjani Bodar,12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Annette Byun, 11th grade – Esperanza High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Annika Christy, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
Parker Dalton, 12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Gabrielle Decuir, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Maria Dimian, 12th grade – Esperanza High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Allen Epstein, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Tyler Furuichi, 12th grade – Esperanza High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Tyson Hartman, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Ping-Hui Hsu, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Chloe Jeon, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Kangsan Kim, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Neel Kumar, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Dillon Kwak, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Isaiah Lu, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Ella Martin, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Emily Miessner, 11th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Holden Mohler, 12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Luke Owens, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Kaden Palacios, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Joseph Park, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Jayden Patel, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Matthew Ramos, 11th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Kareem Rezk, 12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Dylan Ryssel, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Emily Sun, 12th grade – Esperanza High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Lily Surjadinata, 12th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Yashwant Thammineni, 12th grade – Yorba Linda High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Tanya Vidhun, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Thomas Wu, 11th grade – El Dorado High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Ryan Youk, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Dong Youm, 12th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Yizhou Zhang, 11th grade – Valencia High School (Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District)
Kathryn Bayles, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Tristan Bassett, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Michael Bonny, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Nathaniel Denny, 12th grade – Mission Viejo High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Amanda Doan, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Benjamin Gallegos, 12th grade – Mission Viejo High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Matthew Glick, 12th grade – Mission Viejo High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Scarlett Greenwood, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Carter Hawley, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Michael Holland, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Nathaniel Hoss, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Athallah Ikrar, 11th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Jennifer Jain, 11th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Adrian Magana, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Priscilla Moon, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Audrey Nguyen, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Bridget O’Donnell, 12th grade – Laguna Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Lena Park, 11th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Steven Pettit, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Lauren Rodriguez, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Nimal Siva, 12th grade – Trabuco Hills High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Parker Veravanich, 12th grade – Mission Viejo High School (Saddleback Valley Unified School District)
Did we miss any local students who received composite scores between 31 and 36? Let us know by emailing communications@ocde.us.