Middle Student Achieves Perfect SAT Math Score, is MIT-bound

Middle Township High School (MTHS) student and promising future mechanical engineer Xander Hardin achieved a perfect 800 on his math SAT Test this year.  
“I couldn’t really imagine getting a perfect score on a standardized test. I didn’t know that was possible,” said Xander Hardin. “Coming out, I felt like I did the best that I could. I didn’t feel tripped up on questions.”  
Hardin, 17 of Middle Township, has been working toward this goal for years. Former middle school principal and current director of curriculum and instruction Dr. Toni Lehman recalls making special accommodations so Hardin could begin taking high school level math courses while he was in just 8th grade.  
“It’s amazing to see his hard work pay off like this,” Dr. Lehman said. “I remember uniquely working out his schedule back when I was principal at the middle school. I was impressed then, and I am even more now.”  
According to the 2021 College Board Report, the national average math SAT score was 528. Studies show that only 1% of test takers actually receive a perfect score on their SATs. Overall, Hardin scored a 1490, which is in the 97th percentile of all students who have already taken the SATs in 2021.  
“We have a student here that’s just exemplary. It’s a proud moment for our school,” said MTHS principal George West.  
Hardin has participated in extracurricular engineering programs such as MTHS’s robotics club and says that this year the school plans to participate in their first ever robotics competition. Hardin, along with the team advisors, John Richardson and Chris Castor, will begin recruiting students interested in robotics to join the team. Castor says Hardin was first on his list to bring on.  
As a senior, Hardin is currently enrolled in five advanced placement courses. During his junior year, he achieved four perfect scores out of the five AP exams he took in Spring of 2021.  
“In a situation that could be considered stressful – for example, these scores directly affect a student’s acceptance into a college or university they may be looking to attend – for someone to come out with a perfect score, that goes to show we have quality teachers here with quality programs. Xander is a reflection of that,” said West.  
Hardin is excited to finish his high school career on such a high note. He’s hoping these perfect scores will give him the recognition he’ll need to be accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he’d like to study Mechanical Engineering.