Edmond teen earns perfect ACT score
Edmond Public Schools are applauding its latest student to achieve a perfect 36 on the ACT exam. He’s Joshua Zhu, and he’s only 15.
Susan Parks-Schlepp, the district’s public information officer, isn’t sure Edmond has ever had a student that young ace the college entrance test.
Zhu is a sophomore at Edmond Santa Fe High School. There he takes mostly advanced placement classes and is active in extracurricular activities, including orchestra where he plays violin.
He took the examination in September and recently discovered he accomplished the rare feat. In 2014, only about 1,400 students out of 1.8 million exams, or .07 percent, achieved the top score.
Joshua decided earlier this year he would take the test in the fall, and so he prepared during the summer recess.
“I studied about an hour a day,” he said. He thought he did well on the test but was pleasantly surprised to receive a 36.
Also welcoming the news was his father, Hong Zhu, a longtime music professor at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“Of course we are very glad and surprised by Joshua,” he said. Yet, he also credited Edmond Schools for his son’s success.
Before Santa Fe High School, Joshua attended school at West Field Elementary and then later at Summit Middle School.
“He’s received a very good education, and we are very happy with his teachers,” his dad said.
Academic family
Joshua isn’t the first member of the family to be part of the academic elite. His older sister, Julia Zhu, scored a perfect score in 2012. She also went to Santa Fe and was active in orchestra and National Honor Society.
“She’s been my role model,” Joshua said.
Joshua’s academic achievement also is drawing acclaim from Principal Jason Hayes.
“Joshua’s achievement of a perfect ACT score as a sophomore is remarkable,” Hayes said. “Many students do not even attempt the ACT until the middle or end of their junior year because they haven’t received all of the instruction that the test covers. Joshua is an exceptional student, and we are eager to see what the future holds for him.”
That future isn’t certain yet as he hasn’t decided on a particular college.
“I would like an Ivy League college,” he said.
For now, he’s savoring the high school experience and is grateful for his teachers.
“They are the best,” he said. “My extracurricular activities are almost as important as my classes.”
His whole family, including mother Lu Deng, are into music.
Joshua has advice for other students, some who may be struggling.
“Stay motivated and pay attention in class,” he urged others. “Learn everything you possibly can, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”