St. Charles North High School student scores perfect 36 on ACT

St. Charles North High School senior Finn Mulcahy, 17, recently scored a perfect 36 on his ACT, an accomplishment achieved by less than .2% of more than 1.3 million test-takers each year.

Finn took the ACT twice. The first time he scored a 32, and while he wasn’t eager to take it again, he said he did so mainly because his parents insisted.

“I was nervous for the first time,” Mulcahy said. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. I was kind of just up tossing and turning and freaking out.”

On his second attempt, Finn said he was more relaxed and able to pace himself. While he wasn’t expecting to improve on his initial score, celebration erupted in the Mulcahy house when the results came in and showed a perfect score.

“I’m definitely super proud of it. I think it’s a big accomplishment and it feels good,” Mulcahy said. “I’m glad that I was able to showcase my skills there, and it looks good on college applications.”

The Mulcahy family has lived in St. Charles for generations, and both Finn’s parents, Michael and Heather, graduated from St. Charles High School.

The national average ACT score is around 20.

“I was a little surprised for sure, but he’s gone through his whole life with people telling him, ‘you’re so smart’,” Michael Mulcahy said. “As a parent, I’m just happy for Finn that it’s validated, and I think it’s going to be a great confidence builder in anything he does for the rest of his life.”

“It was all on Finn, Finn did it himself, it was his hard work and his output that was able to achieve that,” Heather Mulcahy said. “Just the joy when he opened it up, he freaked out.”

Finn said while the score certainly is one of his proudest achievements, some of that excitement was from knowing he wouldn’t have to take the test again.

“My parents have been helping me this whole time, and I really appreciate them,“ Mulcahy said. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably would’ve taken the test zero times.”

Finn’s favorite subjects are social studies and history, and he named Civics as his favorite class this year. He also highlighted his English teacher at North High School, Ms. Battaglia, as his favorite teacher and a key influence in his educational career.

Finn has had a different education experience than most, having been identified as a gifted student at a young age and skipping two grades in his early education. While a student his age would typically be a junior, he is technically a fifth-year graduating senior.

Finn started his freshman year at North High School at age 12. Mulcahy said because it was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and fully remote, “that first year was sort of a disaster.”

The following year, Mulcahy transferred to Compass Academy, St. Charles Schol District 303’s competency-based learning school where students earn credit toward graduation through real-world experience rather than traditional coursework.

Mulcahy spent three years at Compass before transferring back to St. Charles North High School for his senior year.

“Compass was really good for me,” Mulcahy said. ”It was a great fit for me socially. It was fun, I took a lot of unique classes there. I just thought for my senior year, I wanted to get the full high school experience."

While he was on track to graduate early, Finn opted to join his peers at St. Charles North for a traditional senior year and to continue participating in athletics.

Finn played on the North High School football, wrestling and lacrosse teams this year. He placed first and third in two JV wrestling competitions and has two goals so far in his first season of lacrosse. He also coaches his younger brother’s flag football team.

For his academic prowess, Finn was recognized as a 2024 Illinois State Scholar and a National Merit Commended Student, earned the Seal of Biliteracy, and received the Unsung Hero award.

Finn’s plans for next year are still up in the air as he decides what he wants to study and where. He has been mulling over attending a four-year school or staying close to home and attending a community college for a year first, having applied to the University of Iowa and Elgin Community College.

While staying close to home was the original plan, Mulcahy said, “The ACT score definitely helps open windows to other schools that I probably would not have had a chance with.”

Mulcahy is also torn between studying law or business, and is still waiting to hear back about the scholarships he has applied for.

In the meantime, Mulcahy hopes to raise money for college by tutoring his fellow students preparing for the ACT. Those interested in Mulcahy’s tutoring services should contact him at mulcahyfm@icloud.com.