Rare Perfect ACT Score Earned By Avon Lake Student

AVON LAKE, OH — Irwin Deng never thought he was going to get a perfect score on the ACT exam. Yet here he is, with a sterling 36 score, the second Avon Lake High student to earn a perfect ACT score this year.

Deng first took the ACT exam when he was in eighth grade. He earned a 31 on that first exam.

"I kind of thought I had a chance for another high score the second time, but I never thought a 36," Deng said. The 17-year-old joined Avon Lake High senior Stephen Forest as the second Shoreman to get a 36 this year.

The average ACT score for 2018 is 20.8. Less than 0.2-percent of test takers earned a perfect score on the exam. More than 1.9 million ACT exams were completed in 2018 — 3,741 of them earned a 36.

Deng was happy to dole out advice to other high school students prepping for the exam. "Pick classes that you like and be involved in school activities," he said. "Don't stress too much."

He took his own advice. Deng is taking six Advanced Placement courses, plays flute in the marching band, is a member of the Tennis Team, Math Club, Science Olympiad, and Academic Challenge. He plays piano and composes music in his exceedingly rare free time.

Currently 17, Deng will graduate in 2020. He plans to attend the prestigious Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He hasn't settled on a major yet, but he's leaning toward something in the STEM field.

Deng's parents are Ping Deng and Changyun Nie. His father is a professor of business at Cleveland State University and his mother works in the information technology field. His sister, Amy, is in eighth-grade.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photos from Avon Lake Schools