Mississippi Student Gets Perfect Score On ACT

CLINTON — When incoming senior Stephen Leavelle took the ACT test over the summer, he scored 34 — two points shy of perfect.
“I hoped to improve on that,” he said.
And he did; Stephen learned recently that he scored a perfect 36 on the test administered in September, making him the first student in the state and one of only 91 nationwide to do so this year.
Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a 36 varies from test to test, less than one-tenth of 1 percent achieve the top score.
“It’s a feeling of achievement, more than I anticipated,” he said. The ACT consists of English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36 and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. For purposes of comparison, the average composite score for the national high school graduating class of 2008 was 21.1 out of 36. Becky Robinson, guidance counselor at Clinton High School, said Stephen is not the first CHS student to score perfect on the ACT, but “we’ve never had the first student in Mississippi” to score a 36. “And Stephen is just a good kid,” she said. “He’s a very giving student. If someone is out sick, he offers to take notes for them. If someone is struggling, he offers to help.” Stephen is the son of Dr. Tommy and Mrs. Cynthia Leavelle, professors at Mississippi College and Belhaven College, respectively. Stephen plans to pursue a major in biology, at either Rhodes College or the University of Southern Mississippi. “I’d like a career in zoological sciences,” he said, “in either research, teaching or a curatorship.” Stephen’s ACT score, coupled with his high academic standing at CHS, shows that he has a wide range of educational options after graduation, said Dr. Eddie Peasant, CHS principal. “Stephen is one of the best and brightest of the Class of 2010,” Peasant said. “We are proud of him, not just for earning a perfect score on the ACT, but for his outlook for the next few years. He’s a great kid, and we’re proud that he’s an Arrow.”