Monroe teen gets perfect ACT score

Darius Washington, 16, said he didn't think he'd done that well the last time the took the ACT. He was in for a shock.

The Neville High School student found that he had earned a rare perfect score on the ACT when he checked his results around midnight Monday. According to data from ACT, 1.9 million students took the test in the class of 2015 during their sophomore, junior or senior years. Of those, only less than 1,600 made a perfect score.

His parents, Marish and Sonia Washington, are very proud. Sonia Washington said she woke up to a text from Darius Washington  first thing Tuesday morning, and she and her sister shared the news online.

Sonia Washington said her son took the ACT for the first time in seventh grade as part of Duke University's Gifted Identification Program. In ninth grade, he scored a 32. In 10th, he scored a 33. He skipped a grade and will graduate early. The final time, he was just trying to bring up his math score so he could CLEP out of math classes at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. They weren't expecting the perfect score, though that was a goal her son had set for himself.

She said he's always been very goal oriented, and she and his father have always expected him to try his best, a standard that Darius Washington works hard to attain. She said she thinks he's on the right track and hopes he carries the ability to set and achieve goals throughout his life.

Darius Washington said his classmates are excited that he got the perfect score.

"We are not surprised, but we are very proud," Neville Assistant Principal Whitney Martin.

Darius Washington said he had taken the test a few times before and had an idea of what to expect. He advises other students not to stress too much over the exam because that will burn them out before they take the test.

"Manage your time wisely because if you run out of time that directly affects your score. If you don't get to questions, then you can't answer them," he said.

Darius Washington is a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. He attends honors classes and is a member of the National Honor Society and the quiz bowl team, which recently earned a spot in nationals in Chicago. When he's not studying, Darius Washington said he's relaxing and watching a lot of Netflix.

He plans to attend the University of Louisiana at Monroe and major in computer science. The only child said he hopes to stay near home and work with CenturyLink or IBM, or he might move to Dallas because it's the nearest large city.

Sonia Washington said he's been getting offers from everywhere, but the only other college that had drawn his attention was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She feels safer that he plans to stay closer to home because of his age.

Sonia Washington advised other parents to be supportive of their children, be their biggest cheerleaders and allow them to pursue their own interests.

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