Clinton High School senior earns perfect ACT score

Samuel Hunt, a senior at Clinton High School, has earned a composite score of 36 on the ACT, the highest score the exam awards.

Fewer than 1% of test takers reach that mark. Of the more than 1.38 million students in the U.S. high school graduating class of 2025 who took the ACT, 2,958 earned a top composite score.

Hunt is the son of John and Caroline Hunt. He is a member of the Clinton High School Science Olympiad and academic teams. He is visiting college campuses while he works on applications, and he plans to major in psychology with the goal of becoming a professor of political psychology.

“Earning a top score of 36 on the ACT is a significant accomplishment that signals a student’s readiness for the challenges ahead,” said ACT CEO Steve Tapp. “It opens doors to their future and is an achievement we’re proud to celebrate.”

The ACT is a curriculum-based exam built to measure what students have had the opportunity to learn in school. Students who score at the top have shown they have the skills and knowledge needed for first-year college coursework in the core subject areas.

Four-year colleges and universities nationwide accept ACT scores, which factor into admissions, scholarship and course placement decisions along with other criteria.

ACT has been researching and developing college and career readiness assessments for more than 65 years. Its tests, learning resources and work-ready credentials are used by students, educators, schools, government agencies and employers in the U.S. and abroad.