Maharishi School students score high on ACT exams

The 2011 Maharishi School graduates met and exceeded state and national averages in English, math, reading and science on the ACT exams.

The Maharishi School students? average composite score was 27.9 out of a possible 36.

Iowa?s average composite score was 22.3, and the national average was 21.1. Iowa?s score was just behind No. 1-ranked Minnesota?s 22.9 average.

The Maharishi School students had an average score of 26.8 in math, 29.3 in English, 28.8 in reading and 26.0 in science. In Iowa, the average score was 21.9 in math, 21.7 in English, 22.6 in reading and 22.4 in science. Nationally, the average scores were 21.1 in math, 20.6 in English, 21.3 in reading and 20.9 in science.

ACT Inc., the Iowa City-based group that administers the test, calculates readiness for college-level coursework in four main categories: math; English; reading; and science. Maharishi School students exceeded both state and national averages in every category.

Results showed 91 percent of the Maharishi School students were ready for college algebra. The state average was 52 percent.

The results showed 100 percent of the students were ready for college English, compared to a state average of 77 percent; 91 percent were ready for college reading, compared to a state average of 62 percent; and 73 percent were ready for college biology, compared to a state average of 40 percent.

Seventy-three percent of Maharishi School students reached the benchmark in all four subjects. However, only 31 percent of Iowa students who took the ACT earned overall benchmark scores showing they were college-ready in all four subjects.

Throughout its 30-year history, 95 percent of Maharishi School graduates have been accepted by respected colleges and universities. Last year?s graduates are attending Maharishi University of Management, Haverford College in Pennsylvania; George Washington University and Georgetown University, both in Washington, D.C.; DePaul University in Illinois; Roger Williams College in Rhode Island; UC-Berkeley and Chapman University, both in California; Iowa State University; and University of Iowa.

One senior received a Questbridge Scholarship. Another received scholarships based on his achievements in science research, and one graduate was a National Merit finalist.

The school attributes its students? success to a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and the unique approach of Consciousness-Based education, focusing on the optimization of each student?s full brain potential.

?Our students have a distinct advantage,? said Richard Beall, head of Maharishi School. ?They have a systematic way to dissolve stress every day ? the Transcendental Meditation technique ? so their minds are alert and engaged. That impacts everything they do at school and helps prepare them for success in college and life.??