ROGERS -- Heritage High School can now celebrate its first perfect ACT score.
Morgan Dunn, a junior, achieved the highest possible composite score of 36 when he took the test last month, Rogers School District announced this week.
ACT by the numbers
• 20.4: Arkansas’ 2015 senior class ACT composite score
• 21.0: The average national composite score for 2015
• 93: Percentage of Arkansas’ 2015 graduating class that took the ACT (national average: 59 percent)
• 28: Percentage of 2015 graduates nationwide who took the ACT and achieved the college-readiness benchmark on all four tests
Source: Arkansas Department of Education
Heritage High has counted many firsts since it opened in 2008, but a top score on the ACT had been elusive until now, Principal Karen Steen said.
"It certainly is a tribute to every teacher [Dunn] has ever had," Steen said.
Dunn, 16, has been attending Rogers schools since he was in kindergarten. He went to Northside and Bellview elementary schools and Lingle Middle School before entering Heritage High.
"Every school had really great teachers that helped me learn a lot," Dunn said.
The ACT is a national college entrance exam that consists of four multiple-choice tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each portion is scored on a scale of 1 to 36.
The composite score is the average of the four test scores, so it is possible for students to achieve a 36 without making the top score on each portion. Nationally, the number of students earning a composite score of 36 is typically less than one-tenth of 1 percent.
Dunn, son of Kris and Jeff Dunn of Rogers, has taken the ACT six times.
His first attempt came when he was in the seventh grade. He said he scored a 23 that time, which is above the state and national averages.
He came close to perfection when he took the ACT for the fifth time last spring.
"I got so close. I did more practice tests and tried to focus in more," Dunn said.
A few weeks after his latest attempt in October, he got the news he'd achieved the 36 score when his mother texted him while he was in calculus class.
"Inside I was jumping up and down for joy. But I just did a little fist pump," Dunn said.
Dunn most enjoys math and science and thinks he'll pursue a career in engineering.
Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke and the University of Virginia are among the colleges that interest him.
Dunn is a straight-A student, but a well-rounded person, as well, Steen said.
He has played football for three seasons and recently started playing lacrosse. He has been a choir member for three years. He also volunteers at the Arkansas Public Theatre in downtown Rogers.
Dunn worried most about his performance on the English portion of the ACT, which he called his "shaky part."
Kristie Daut, his college composition teacher this semester, said Dunn thanked her for helping him prepare for the exam.
"He's a very concise and clean writer, which is what I noticed first," Daut said. "He's a wonderful writer, but you can tell he's not as confident in his writing as he is in other areas."
Daut was one of the teachers who took part in special training the district provided this year to show how they may embed ACT activities into their classrooms. As part of the training, she took a practice ACT exam, she said.
"Kids get so stressed about the time limit," she said. "One of the methods I teach is, gather the golden eggs. Those are questions they can answer quickly."
Students in upper-level math courses tend to forget more basic algebra and geometry concepts they encounter on the ACT, she said.
The state is covering the $39.50 cost for all Arkansas juniors to take the ACT in the spring. Officials hope that by offering it for free, it will break down a significant barrier to access to colleges and universities.
State Desk on 11/26/2015