Two Hilliard Davidson High School seniors each scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. Students from all three Hilliard high schools also earned National Merit recognition.

Kento Nishio and Mischa Haworth achieved the top composite score on the ACT, the district announced Wednesday, Sept. 30. About 0.22% of the nearly 1.4 million 2024 graduates who took the ACT earned a perfect 36, according to ACT's national profile report.

Four Hilliard seniors were named Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, placing them among roughly 16,200 of the highest-scoring students nationwide. The Semifinalists are Mohamed Katabay, David Merfeld and Nishio from Hilliard Davidson, and Roshan Ayanampudi from Hilliard Darby High School. Semifinalists scored at or above Ohio's Selection Index cutoff of 216 on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, according to Compass Prep's tracking of official cutoffs.

Nishio appeared on both lists.

He is one of two Hilliard students to earn dual recognition. Haworth, who scored a perfect ACT, was also named a National Merit Commended Scholar. 14 Hilliard students earned that designation, which requires a Selection Index of at least 208.

All three high schools placed at least one student on the Commended list. Hilliard Darby led with five.

The honors are comparable in scale to last year's results. In last year's National Merit cycle, Hilliard had four Semifinalists and 11 Commended Scholars, according to district records. One of those Semifinalists, Rohan Narisetti of Hilliard Darby, also earned a perfect ACT score.

The district credited the students' hard work and the support of families, teachers and school communities. Semifinalists who advance in the competition become Finalists and are eligible for National Merit Scholarships. No date has been announced for a board recognition ceremony for this year's honorees.