Willowbrook student earns top score on ACT college-entrance exam

Pictured is Willowbrook student Maxwell Polanek (class of 2019), who recently earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36.

Willowbrook’s Maxwell Polanek (class of 2019) recently earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. On average, only about one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2017, only 2,760 out of more than 2 million graduates who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. It consists of tests in English, math, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1 to 36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores.

“Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare," ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda said in a letter to the students who reached this accomplishment. "While test scores are just one of multiple criteria most colleges consider when making admission decisions, your exceptional ACT composite score should prove helpful as you pursue your education and career goals.”