By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

Stuart

AURORA, Ind. - Madison Stuart will attend college next year, but she has no idea where - now that the unlikely has happened.

After narrowing her list to three schools, the South Dearborn High School senior decided to expand her search last month after achieving a score of 1600 - the highest possible - on the SAT.

Only 944 students out of more than 1.4 million who took the test last year accomplished the feat, or .067 percent.

Just 11 of the 944 - slightly more than 1 percent - were from Indiana, 22 were from Ohio and seven from Kentucky. Nearly two-thirds of them were male.

And while St. Xavier, Sycamore and other Greater Cincinnati high schools have reported students with 1600 SAT scores this fall, Madison is the first person in her school's 26-year history to hit the mark.

It was the second time she took the test, after scoring 1260 a year ago.

"My mom said: 'You got a pretty good score, but you need to take it again,' " Madison recalled. "I was a lot less nervous taking it the second time. It seemed a lot easier, and I thought I was doing well enough to get in the 1400s."

Madison said she didn't do anything special to prepare for the test and is at a loss to explain her success.

"Part of it is just knowing how to eliminate answers," she said. "But there really wasn't much else."

The normally reserved 17-year-old let out a scream in the library two weeks ago when she checked her score online.

"Steve Mendell (director of guidance) asked me if I just heard that scream," said principal Rob Moorhead, who was on parking lot duty at the time. "I went right to the guidance office, and Madison was still shaking."

When Madison got home, she called her parents, who were in Hawaii. She got their voicemail.

"Her message was funny," recalled her father, Greg. "She said, 'Mom, Dad. I just got on the computer. I GOT A 1600 ON THE SAT! Goodbye.' "

From third through eighth grades, Madison was home-schooled by her mom, Carolyn. Greg said Madison took the standardized Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in third grade and was testing at a post-high school level in about half of the categories.

"It wasn't our intent to send her to the high school," said Greg. "But Madison sort of got ahead of my wife."

At South Dearborn, Madison ranks fourth in her class. She's a member of the academic team and German/Philosophy Club. She also competes on the cross country, track and swim teams.

Madison is undecided on a career choice, and the 1600 score has clouded her selection of a college.

"It was Hanover, Colorado State and maybe Purdue before the test," said Madison. "Now, I have no idea."

Moorhead was glad to hear she's considering Hanover, the oldest private school in Indiana, about 50 miles southwest of Aurora.

"I'm a proud alumnus and would love to see her go there," Moorhead said.

"But I would think she has the pick of where she wants to go. She's a good student, and anyone who has taken the SAT knows what an accomplishment a score like that is."

E-mail williamcroyle@yahoo.com