3 x 36: TRIO OF DMPS STUDENTS EARNS HIGHEST MARKS ON ACT

Each year, less than one-tenth of one percent of students earn a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT test, the college entrance examination. This year, three members of that select group are students who attend Roosevelt High School in Des Moines.

The three Roosevelt students earned the highest possible composite score of 36 when they took the ACT exam in April. The students, all seniors, are:
  • Corey Grief of Des Moines, the son of Mark Grief and Mary Kelly-Grief
  • Matthew MacKay of Urbandale, the son of Robert MacKay and Marina Gabourel
  • Megan Mansfield of Des Moines, the daughter of Edward Mansfield and Cathy Mansfield
All three students also take courses at Central Academy. The students are exploring their options for college next year, and each currently has an interest in studying a math or science-related field.
Over the past five years, between six to eight Iowa students per year receive a perfect composite score. In Iowa, nearly 23,000 students in the Class of 2011 took the ACT exam.
“To have three students in one high school score a 36 on the ACT is the academic equivalence of having lightning strike the same place three times,” said Kathie Danielson, principal of Roosevelt High School. “This speaks volumes about the abilities and potential of these three students, but it also says a lot about the great education our students receive in Des Moines thanks to top-notch teachers and strong support from our community.”
Earlier this year, Roosevelt was ranked second in Iowa when it comes to preparing students for post-secondary education, according to the Washington Post’s High School Challenge Index. Only 1,900 high schools – just 7% of the nation’s total – were eligible for the index, which required that at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test be given for each diploma awarded. Roosevelt also placed in the top quarter on the nation-wide index.