By Press Times Staff

DE PERE – West De Pere High School student Vaughn Gerrits, son of Mark and Suzanne Gerrits, has earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36 – a rarity with less than 0.5% of test-takers earning a perfect ACT score each year.

“I am so grateful to God for blessing me with the ability to score this well, and to my parents for letting me read all of the time when I was younger,” Gerrits said. “I am just so grateful that I live in a situation where I have the opportunity to learn and that I could always practice reading whenever I wanted to.”

The standardized test, taken by high school juniors in Wisconsin interested in pursuing higher education, includes sections on English, reading, math and science, and is one of the primary tests used for college admission.

ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the United States.

Lisa Boyd, a counselor at West De Pere High School, said in 2020 just 5,579 students out of 1.6 million who took the test, earned a perfect score.

“This works out to be about 0.33% or one-third of one percent of test takers,” she said. “Earning a 30 or above is higher than 93% of all test takers. The average composite score in Wisconsin this past year was 20.1.”

Boyd said the ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school.

“Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas,” she said.

Gerrits is ranked No. 7 in his junior class of 241 students and has taken or will take (next year) 14 college credit and/or advanced placement courses in his high school career.

“Great job Vaughn,” Boyd said. “We are proud to have you represent West De Pere High School.”

Boyd said Gerrits’ academic achievements are all done while participating in cross country, track and field and the social studies academic team at West De Pere High School.

In the community, Gerrits volunteers with the Knights of Columbus and the Lost Dauphin 4-H Club.

Up next – after high school graduation next year, of course – college.

“I want to go to college for a degree in either natural resources or wildlife biology, and then get a job either as a researcher or a game warden or something similar,” Gerrits said.