When 17-year-old Korry Sessoms got his practice SAT score back at the end of his junior year, he was a bit cautious. Even after scoring a stellar 1,570 on the practice exam, the modest New Manchester High School senior worried that his real score might drop by 100 points.
Instead, Sessoms did what less than one percent of test-takers nationwide accomplish: he earned a perfect SAT score of 1,600.
For Sessoms, taking the official exam wasn’t initially about chasing perfection. “Not really. I was just going to see where I was at,” Sessoms shared regarding his mindset going into the exam.
Korry is 17 years old and he just scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT. Fewer than 0.05% of all test takers ever reach that score. His mother said it best. In a world where it can go a different way for a young Black male, it's refreshing to see him celebrated. Korry wants to study… pic.twitter.com/LvgKx8m1zA
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 1, 2026
His perfect 1,600 places him in the 99-plus percentile group nationally. But the Douglas County, Georgia high schooler credits his achievement to everyday discipline.
Sessoms doesn’t just spend his time in the classroom; he is also a standout student-athlete playing wide receiver for the New Manchester High Jacks.
That commitment to discipline was put to the test when Sessoms had to fight his way back onto the football field following a severe ACL tear. For Sessoms, the lessons learned on the field directly fuel his success at his desk.
“Football teaches you accountability, consistency, and discipline, and that just correlates with studying academics,” Sessoms said.
When asked what advice he would pass on to fellow students striving for their own goals, Sessoms kept it simple: “Don’t worry about everyone else. Don’t try to fit in with everyone else. Just stay locked in.”
Looking ahead, Sessoms has big dreams for his next chapter. He hopes to attend Yale University to study engineering before eventually attending law school to leverage his perfect verbal score.
