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.”

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.