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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Twenty-one high school seniors in Nebraska have been honored for earning perfect scores on either the ACT or SAT test.
Gov. Pete Ricketts honored the 20 perfect ACT scorers and one perfect SAT scorer during separate ceremonies Thursday in Lincoln and Omaha.
"We know that you accomplished this through a lot of hard work," Ricketts said during the Omaha event at Creighton Prep High School. "It didn't happen by accident."
An ACT official says that this year's number of perfect scorers is probably a state record. The previous high was 16 students in 2011.
Ricketts thanked school administrators and teachers for preparing students. He also gave credit to parents as the first and most vital teachers of their children.
"Wherever your education path leads, we want those paths to lead back here to Nebraska," he said. "We do have the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family. And we want you here."
Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of ACT test takers nationwide received a perfect score. More than 500 of nearly 1.7 million students who took the SAT received a perfect score.
Omaha student Julia Fiksinski, who attends Brownell-Talbot School, was the only 2016 Nebraska graduate to ace the SAT, according to the College Board. She didn't take the ACT.
Fiksinski said she was surprised when she went online to check her score after taking the test in December 2014.
"Best Christmas present I've ever gotten," she said.
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