Two students attending high schools in Monroe County recently earned perfect ACT scores.

Sam Schrader, a senior at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, and Ian Boyer-Edwards, a senior at Columbia High School, each recorded the top composite score of 36 on the ACT test.

Sam is the son of Mark and Michelle Schrader of Smithton; Ian is the son of Stephen and Kathryn Boyer-Edwards of Columbia.

Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, on average, less than one-tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score.

Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2013, only 1,162 of more than 1.8 million students earned a composite score of 36.

David Merz of Freeburg also recorded a 36 on his ACT. The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a stu- dent’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

“While test scores are just one of the many criteria that most colleges consider when making admission decisions, your exceptional ACT composite score should prove helpful as you pursue your education and career goals,” ACT CEO Jon Whitmore stated in letters to Schrader and Boyer-Edwards recognizing their exceptional achievement.

ACT test scores are accepted by all major U.S. colleges, and perfect scores of 36 provide colleges with evidence of student readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.

The three area students qualify for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in the spring. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.