Jun. 18—ROCHESTER — Of the thousands of students in Rochester Public Schools, there were a mere handful who achieved a perfect score on their ACT this year.

Only “about one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score,” according to a press release from the testing organization. Of the 1.34 million students who took the test in 2022, only 3,376 students received the top mark. The ACT tests students in the areas of English, math, reading and science.

In Rochester’s three public high schools, there were six students who received a perfect score. Four of them spoke with the Post Bulletin about their experience with the test and their plans moving forward.

“I checked it a couple times to make sure,” Mayo High School senior Keely Ryder said. “I was super excited that all the hard work paid off.”

Mayo Senior Sawyer Thompson achieved the high score during his first time taking the test. The others took it multiple times. But even those who took it more than once still got solid marks on their first go-round. Mayo Senior Greenlee Laughlin got a 34 her first time. She joked that sibling rivalry played into her decision to take the test a second time, since her brother received a 35.

As much as students had to master the content, navigating the test itself was also a challenge at times. Mayo High School senior Maximilian Rivera talked about how he got a stopwatch at one point to make sure he wasn’t spending too much time on any given question.

“If you really want that better score, I think you have to reach a point where you’re just not stressing about the test,” Rivera said.

Name: Sawyer Thompson

Grade: 12

School: Mayo High School

Extracurriculars: Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestras, Mayo Stage Door

Future Plans: University, interested in product design, engineering or music

Name: Keely Ryder

Grade: 12

School: Mayo High School

Extracurriculars: Research: Research Mentorship Project with the Mayo Clinic — Emergency Department; Tennis: Play & coach tennis at the Rochester Tennis Connection daily, 2023 MSHSL Girls Doubles State Champion, 2023 MSHSL Girls Team State Champion, Mayo HS Girls Tennis Varsity Team Captain, KTTC Athlete of the Week, Post Bulletin Top Returner, Compete in USTA (United States Tennis Association) Tournaments year round, Strength training at ETS Performance; Piano: 2018, 2019, & 2024 Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Piano State Finalist, 3-time “Superior” rating at the Federation Festival Competition, Passed MMTA Theory Exams Levels 1-4; Volunteering: Part of the Rochester Community Initiative (RCI), a youth-led nonprofit organization; Mayo HS Honors Society (40+ volunteer hours/ year), Mayo HS Spanish Honors Society; Other: Gold Seal of Biliteracy on the Spanish Avant STAMP Test

Name: Greenlee Laughlin

Grade: 12

School: Mayo High School

Extracurricular Activities: Dance- Mayo Fall Dance Team Captain, The Dance Lab Student and Performance Team Member, Rochester Dance Company’s The Nutcracker; School- Mayo Honors Society Officer and Member, Mayo Spanish Honors Society, UNICEF Club Member and Executive Board Officer, Spartan 300 Group Leader; Miscellaneous- Nothing Bundt Cakes General Sales Representative, Post Bulletin Teen Columnist

Future Plans: “I plan to attend a four-year university (top schools currently are University of Notre Dame and Duke University) after high school and go on to receive graduate education for either a journalism or pre-medical pathway.”

Name: Maximilian W. Rivera

Grade: 12

School: Mayo High School

Extracurricular activities: tennis team, Science Olympiad, piano.

Future Plans: “Teaching math program at Mayo High during summer, applying for college next year.”