A Columbia High School student recently managed one of the most remarkable academic honors: a perfect score on the ACT.

Noah Boyer-Edwards, a CHS senior, was recognized on the school district’s Facebook page for his perfect ACT score of 36, further praised for the fact he accomplished the feat on his first test attempt.

While there doesn’t appear to be a definitive source for the national rate of perfect ACT scores, several online sources seem to put the annual number of perfect scores in the thousands or even hundreds, meaning only a fraction of one percent of high school students are able to hit that 36 mark.

Noah, along with his parents Kathi and Steve, spoke with the Republic-Times about the accomplishment.

He offered thanks to his teachers and especially his family, praising his parents in a tone that elicited a chuckle from his mother.

“I’m very grateful to my parents, of course, for nurturing me throughout my education,” Noah said. “The school also offered an ACT/SAT prep course that was very helpful.”

Noah explained he’s currently in the running to be CHS valedictorian. Last time he checked, weighted grades would seem to have his GPA at about third in his class.

Beyond his grades, Noah described his extracurricular interests ranged from Scholar Bowl and Math Team to band. He also has a theatrical history, as he played the lead in last year’s school production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”

Noah noted he is not the first in his family to manage a 36 on the ACT. One of his older siblings accomplished the same feat about a decade ago.

He also noted that a friend of his, Layne Albers, was similarly able to hit a perfect score when she first took the ACT last year.

Noah further pointed out that not only did he and Albers manage to both achieve perfect scores, but they also received the same score when they both took the SAT.

Offering advice for his peers still looking to pursue their ideal score on the test, Noah pointed to the prep course he previously took as among the most substantial reasons he was able to reach a 36.

“The prep course was very useful,” Noah said. “I would recommend to take advantage of the opportunities that one’s school offers, to not be afraid to ask for help from teachers, to strive for excellence, to not let up until you’re satisfied with where your grade is at and where your knowledge is at.”

Noah’s parents offered great praise for their son, with Steve echoing Noah’s sentiment of thanks for those around him who have helped throughout his academic career.

“We’re grateful to all the teachers and coaches and adults and classmates in Noah’s life who have all been encouraging and supportive,” Steve said.

His mother similarly thanked everyone who’s helped raise and positively influence Noah.

Kathi also pointed out that ,while his academic achievements are certainly impressive, she and Steve still see his kindness as his best trait.

“We have three children, he’s the youngest, and all of them have been accomplished in many different ways, but the one that always means the most to us is when people talk about Noah’s kindness and his thoughtfulness,” Kathi said. “Aside from test scores or being in plays or anything like that, he is a kind and thoughtful and loving person.”

Looking to the future, Noah still has his entire senior year to look forward to, and he’ll be using the coming months to narrow down the list of universities he’s interested in.

As far as college majors, Noah said he’s found a particular interest in anthropology and a few related areas.

“I’m looking to go into anthropology or a related, possibly social science field,” Noah said. “It really fascinates me to learn about people, what makes them tick, what makes them do what they do. Probably something of that nature is what I’ll be looking for.”