A record-breaking achievement at Jericho High School, where 21 students scored a perfect GPA (earning an A+ in all their classes) for the entirety of their high school careers. The valedictorians pulled off this impressive feat while taking challenging courses like AP Physics and Multi-Variable Calculus.
Meet the group of students at the top of their class — all 21 of them. At Jericho High School , the class of 2026 has nearly two dozen valedictorians, as the students never got below an A+.
NBC New York’s Pei-Sze Cheng reports. Valedictorians are the very top of their graduating class, and this year at Jericho High School, there are 21 of them. Yes, 21 students who have earned the honor of having a perfect GPA: Earning an A+ in all their classes for the entire four years of high school “I think it’s so amazing,” said one of the valedictorians, Liv Akiva.
“We have such a strong community here at Jericho, especially among the valedictorians. "It’s a record for the Long Island school; their previous record was 15 students. Co-principal Brian Cummings said to get an A+, you must have a 97 or higher average in the class.
“It shows a lot of success,” said Cummings. “Historically this is the way we’ve done it with letter grades. The difference between a 99.8 and a 99.83 is insignificant so letter grades really capture what we represent.
" These students pulled off this incredible feat even while taking more difficult courses like AP Physics or Multi Variable Calculus. “I took Calculus BC, that was one of the most hardest classes I’ve ever taken in high school,” explained Harnoor Joneja, also a valedictorian. “And I was a little bit concerned about losing it this year, but I tried hard and kept my average up.
”From North Shore to North Fork to Long Island Sound and the barrier islands, NBC New York covers Long Island news, weather, traffic and more. Typically, being valedictorian means you give a speech at graduation. But with 21 students that would be tricky, so this year the school will craft a video of them to play instead.
“The students will wear sashes that say valedictorian 2026,” said Cummings. “We are trying to create other opportunities to celebrate this incredible accomplishment. " The pursuit of perfection means these teens may have missed social events and gatherings along the way, but these kids knew they were working for a greater goal. “Despite all the competitiveness there’s still a lot of collaboration and we are all trying to bring each other up as we go,” said valedictorian Tommy Yuan.
“What’s wrong with recognizing their hard work? ” said Dr. Robert Kravitz, the superintendent of schools.
“We should celebrate as many as we can because they’re showing that they care about what they are doing. " All their hard work has paid off as the 21 top students are headed to college in the fall, to continue their pursuit of excellence.
Jericho High School Valedictorians GPA A+ Long Island Community Hard Work Celebration Pursuit Of Excellence
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mrs. Ryan's 4th Grade Class - Robertsdale Elementary SchoolPLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Mrs. Ryan's 4th Grade Class - Robertsdale Elementary School- Sponsored by Eastern Shore Toyota.
Read more »
P.J. Fleck and the Gophers Are Making a Statement in High School RecruitingMinnesota is trending to have another great class in the 2027 high school recruiting cycle.
Read more »
How this charter school is again ranked as Utah's top high schoolJason Swensen is a Deseret News staff writer on the Politics and the West team. He has won multiple awards from the Utah Society of Professional Journalists. Swensen was raised in the Beehive State and graduated from the University of Utah. He is a husband and father — and has a stack of novels and sports biographies cluttering his nightstand.
Read more »
Minnesota Lands Another Iowa Linebacker Commit in Growing 2027 ClassThe Gophers now have three players from Iowa committed to their 2027 high school recruiting class.
Read more »