PLYMOUTH, Minn. — A high school senior in a Minneapolis suburb received the ACT test results that most students dream of: a "perfect score," on her first attempt.
Armstrong High School student Mio Aoki-Sherwood earned a composite score of 36 on the standardized test, putting her in a very narrow pool of students who've achieved the highest possible score.
Her district, Robbinsdale Area Schools, reported that roughly .0019% of 1.9 million students who take the test every year land that number, according to the ACT organization. The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36.
"I was definitely happy when I learned about my score, and a little surprised because it was my first time taking the test, so I really did not know what to expect," Aoki-Sherwood told the school district.
She credits, in part, having access to a "supportive educational environment" that has allowed her to succeed on the standardized test and other academic measures.
The national average composite score for last year's class of test-takers was 20.6, marking the lowest in the past 10 years, according to the ACT organization.
The average composite score for students from "traditionally underserved racial/ethnic groups," which the organization defined as not white or Asian, dropped from 18 to 17.7 between 2016 and 2020. Meanwhile, just over half of low-income, minority and/or first-generation college students met zero of the ACT's four college readiness benchmarks last year.
Aoki-Sherwood said she and her family are proud of the accomplishment, but they "don't like to put too much emphasis on standardized testing scores."
"These scores do not define or measure an individual's worth," she said.
The school district said Aoki-Sherwood plans to attend Cornell College in Iowa in the fall, and she's interested in studying environmental science or a similar field. She also hopes to continue her involvement in orchestra and cross country.
