Lafayette junior Lainey Bass earned a perfect 36 on the ACT this winter, putting her in the top 0.22% of test-takers nationwide. She did it while competing in cross country, track, and diving for the Lancers.

Bass's prep strategy was straightforward. Her mom bought her a thick practice book, and she worked through it one section at a time over winter break. The week before the test, she sat for a full practice run.

"I was doing really good on all the practice tests, and I felt really good after I took it," Bass told the Rockwood School District. "I was hoping for that but didn't expect it. I didn't believe it. I was like, 'Wait, is this real?'"

How confident was she in the score? When Rockwood juniors sat for the district's free ACT administration on April 7, Bass slept in.

The ACT has four sections: English, math, reading, and science. A composite 36 means acing all of them. Nationally, just 3,041 students out of nearly 1.4 million test-takers scored a perfect 36 in the class of 2024, the most recent year with published data.

Bass said she gravitates toward math and science because she prefers problem-solving over memorization. She's currently taking calculus, chemistry, and psychology, and chemistry is an early favorite as she begins her college search.

She's also a member of National Honor Society and Key Club at Lafayette.

Bass is the second Lancer to score a 36 this school year. Senior Michelle Chen earned the same mark last summer. Across the Rockwood district, four students have posted perfect ACT scores in 2025–26.

Bass said she's hoping the score translates to scholarships as she starts looking at colleges. No major declared yet, but she's got time. She's only a junior.