Ashrit Talluri, a 14-year-old freshman at Innovation Academy, earned a perfect 1600 on the SAT in June after five months of disciplined preparation.
Talluri's achievement, first reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, puts him in rare company at the Fulton County Schools STEM magnet in Alpharetta, which draws students by lottery from Johns Creek, Northview, Chattahoochee and several other north Fulton high school zones. Innovation Academy's mean SAT score was 1,286 for the class of 2024, ranking second in Georgia among individual schools, according to district data. Talluri beat that average by 314 points.
Talluri told FOX 5 Atlanta's Michael Addison that the moment he saw his score left him stunned. "When I saw that 1600, you know, I had to wipe my eyes a couple of times," he said in the Thursday, Sept. 24 interview.
His path to the test started earlier than most. While attending Fulton Academy of Science and Technology, a Fulton County Schools charter school in Roswell, Talluri completed 14-and-a-half high school credits during middle school. He also attended college-level summer programs at Harvard University and Rice University before starting ninth grade.
Talluri's father and his middle school counselor encouraged him to register for the SAT in January. He spent the next five months working with a tutor, watching YouTube videos and completing more than two dozen practice tests. He had already scored 1600 on three practice exams before sitting for the official test.
On test day, he said he was nervous, particularly about the reading and writing section. He told FOX 5 he managed his nerves by taking deep breaths and staying calm.
His family waited several weeks while the College Board verified the score.
Talluri is now taking two college-level courses through Innovation Academy's dual enrollment program, which the school's website describes as open to students in grades 10 through 12, with a few exceptions for underclassmen. He also plays chess, follows aviation and competes in metro Atlanta hackathons.
He hopes to become a neurosurgeon. He has started writing SAT practice questions in his spare time to help other students try different test-taking strategies. "I really want to help the community just like how someone helped me," he told FOX 5 Atlanta.
