13-year-old earns a perfect score on the ACT

BRAINARD, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - Scrabble is recommended for ages 8 and up, but 2-year-old Chance Rohda paid no mind then and pays no mind now when it comes to age.

Yet still, when he earned a perfect score on his ACT at just 13 years old, he said he was “super excited and shocked.”

Chance started kindergarten and was quickly moved to learn with the third graders. Now, he’s the age of an eighth grader taking 11th-grade classes.

He said it was when he started school that he realized he stood out from the rest.

“Well, it started at kindergarten,” Chance said. “I guess I just thought that was how it was until kindergarten.”

But Chance’s parents knew before then that he was likely developing quicker than expected, so they went to a Creighton child development specialist.

“He’s our only child,” said Chance’s dad, Nate Rohda. “And so we didn’t know what was normal and what route to take. So, she really gave us a plan to bring to the school laying out how he’s definitely going to have to be placed ahead to keep him challenged.”

At East Butler High School, he has friends of all ages, chatting with his junior classmates: “I grew up with them. I’ve been with them since kindergarten slash third grade.”

And having lunch with the freshman, he again pays age no mind.

Chance also runs cross country, started basketball, is in acting, does quiz bowl and likes to play games. He said he’s able to juggle all that with a little bit of help.

“Well, I get a lot of rest, eat hearty and have great parents who are willing to drive me,” Chance said.

His parents are over the moon about the score, but like age to Chance, this score to them is just a number.

“Whether he gets a 32, or a 33, or decides not to take it, we’re going to love him the same,” his father Nate Rohda said. “We need him to know that, that our value in him isn’t what he scores on a test. He’s a great all-around kid.”

Chance’s goal is to study computer science and entrepreneurship, possibly keeping his talents in Nebraska. He said his eyes are on the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s computer science school and honors program or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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