Twins Dean and Aiden Elhadary from New Trier High School made headlines by achieving perfect scores on the ACT exam. They received their composite scores of 36 just after finishing their sophomore year.
Aiden Elhadary expressed his relief and excitement upon discovering his score while in class. He immediately informed his brother, who had received the same perfect score. Both brothers share a strong interest in the sciences and have clear academic goals. Dean plans to pursue a pre-med track, while Aiden is considering majors in biology or chemistry.
ACT Communications Director Juan Elizondo noted that only about 1 in 400 students who take the ACT achieve a perfect score. The twins decided to take the exam early for assessment, aiming to identify areas for further improvement.
Their mother, Jenny Elhadary, said the boys prepared over two separate months with a private tutor, focusing primarily on practice exams. Most of their preparation was independent work guided by their tutor’s assignments. Their father, Hamdy Elhadary, humorously remarked that one twin showed more interest in studying than the other.
Having strong reading comprehension capabilities helped Dean and Aiden excel in the English and reading sections of the exam. Dean also credited his attention in math class for aiding his performance in that section. The twins’ parents both work in healthcare, which influenced the boys. Jenny Elhadary is the vice president for clinical services at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Hamdy is a physician assistant specializing in plastic surgery. The twins grew up immersed in conversations about the medical field.
In their free time, Dean and Aiden participate in the Science Olympiad, an extracurricular science competition, where they engage in various engineering projects. They also mentor middle school students at Marie Murphy Middle School in Wilmette.
The family recently explored Duke University, the twins’ current top college choice. Despite their accomplishments, Hamdy Elhadary wants his sons to understand the significance of their achievements. He expressed how surprising and rewarding their perfect scores were for the family.
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