Gonzaga Prep student records perfect ACT score

It was an Ace-CT for Gonzaga Prep student Jakob Nordhagen.

Nordhagen, a junior, recently scored a 36 on his ACT, the highest possible composite score on the standardized test for college admissions.

One-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the test earn a top score, according to the ACT public relations department.

Nordhagen said he expected a good score, but not a perfect one.

“I was expecting a 34 or 35,” said Nordhagen, a straight-A student and soccer player. “I was somewhat surprised when I got a 36.”

Gonzaga Prep Academic Vice Principal Derek Duchesne said he couldn’t recall the last time a student in Spokane had a perfect ACT score.

“We have had students attain that mark on parts of the test in the past, but no one in recent memory has received a 36 out of 36 on the entire exam,” Duchesne said in an e-mail. “This is a remarkable achievement.”

Of the more than 2 million 2017 high school graduates, according to ACT, just 2,760 aced the four-pronged test.

The ACT comprises tests in English, mathematics, reading and science.

“Science was probably the hardest part of the test for me,” he said.

Nordhagen, 16, is still weighing his college options, but said he is most interested in Stanford, from which both of his parents graduated.