A perfect score: Lemont High School student records a 36 on ACT exam

Lemont High School junior Nora Thornber joined a select list of Lemont High School students when she recorded a 36 on the ACT during the September 2023 administration of the exam.

She is just the eighth Lemont High School student ever to achieve the feat, and the first since 2021 when her sister, Molly Thornber ‘22, achieved the feat.

Since her first days on campus as a seventh grader, Thornber has been a standout student. She has accumulated one of the top grade point averages in the Class of 2025, with a weighted GPA of more than 4.60, and routinely tackles a rigorous class schedule while also being involved in several extra-curricular activities.

On average, less than two-tenths of 1% of students who take the ACT earn the top score. The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

Thornber began her career at Lemont High School as a middle schooler, taking accelerated math classes on campus as both a seventh grader and eighth grader at Old Quarry Middle School.

She is a member of the school’s marching band, concert band and honors symphonic band. She also competes as part of the school’s Mathletes, Scholastic Bowl and speech teams. Thornber has been inducted into the school’s chapters of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society.

She already has completed two Advanced Placement classes, currently is enrolled in two AP classes and an advanced college-level math course, and is scheduled to take three more AP classes as a senior.T

The other Lemont students to earn a 36 on an ACT exam were Taylor Campos ‘16, Marjorie Dallmann ‘12, Anna Ford ‘18, Sarah Hagen ‘17, Natalie Hartl ‘18 and Taylor Shimkus ‘20.