Brookfield, Sandy Hook, Students Earn Perfect Math SAT Scores

DANBURY, CT — In a world where most people are more than content just being "good enough," being perfect at anything, let alone mathematics, is a rare pearl of great price. But for two students at Immaculate High School in Danbury, perfection has not only been achieved, but now they’re building on it.

Immaculate High School seniors Hunter Kirkman, of Sandy Hook, and Ian Fitzgerald, of Brookfield, both scored perfect 800s in the math section of their SAT tests. The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States and is administered by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization that was formed to expand access to higher education. Only one percent of the more than 2 million students who took the 2019 SAT earned a perfect math score.

Kirkman dismissed the achievement. "I’m just a good standardized test taker," he said. He's also a member of another elite one-percent club, the one percent of high school students from 21,000 high schools in the United States who have been named semi-finalists for a National Merit Scholarship.

Fitzgerald’s approach to the SAT was a little more directed. He says that he carefully analyzed previous tests, looking for patterns, and didn’t waste valuable study time prepping for subject matter that the College Board hadn't mined on recent exams.

It should come as no surprise that both students are currently studying Advanced Placement Calculus, which is one of 33 AP courses the Danbury private Catholic school offers.

What might be more startling is how much non-academic work both students manage to cram into their day. Kirkman is captain of the school’s soccer team, and has been playing the sport since he was four-years-old. He's also been literally waist-deep in his Eagle Scout project, building a floating dock for Cullens Youth Association in Newtown. Kirkman is also a member of the Rosary Making Club, Student Council, and the Engineering Club, and president of the Campus Ministry at Immaculate.

The engineering program at Immaculate has just been formed in the past two years, but it has already proven formidable. The Engineering Club won state and national competitions in its inaugural year.

Fitzgerald, who's been playing clarinet since the 4th grade, is a member of the high school's concert band. He's also a three-season runner, competing in indoor and outdoor track, as well as cross-country, and competes with the History Quiz Bowl Club.

The students admit it is tough balancing the academics and the after school activities, although the situation has eased up a bit in their senior year as they now have more study hall slots in their schedules.

Both students were still eyeing colleges when Patch spoke with them. Kirkman plans on majoring in mechanical engineering wherever he ends up, and Fitzgerald has applied for "early action" consideration at both UC Irvine and MIT. They won't be the only members of their class challenging themselves after graduation: one hundred percent of Immaculate's Class of 2019 were accepted to choice colleges and universities and were awarded college scholarships and grants totaling $27 million.

Students or parents looking to these students to discover a single magic pill for success will be disappointed. Both men attribute their mastery of high school to different influences.

For Kirkman, it comes down to faith and family.

"The reason I think I am in such a good position is because of the way I was brought up by my parents, the Catholic faith, and having a good work ethic," he said. "So it may be difficult for other people who are not brought up the same way."

Fitzgerald says that most of his knowledge comes from online and out of school sources, and he projects that traditional schooling is going to change within the next decade to reflect this.

"At the college level, all the knowledge for your field is already on the internet," Fitzgerald said. He believes that college education is on the verge of being "massively restructured" as a result, and that realignment will shortly trickle down to education in the high schools and middle schools.

But the "good schools," as Fitzgerald calls them, "are not going away anytime soon. I feel as though a good school creates a community of learning around people who want to find out more about the world."