Stars aligned over Midtown High School as four seniors earned Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Student honors in a rare four-way tie for top SAT score.
Alexander Mendel Smith, Min Woo Kang, Nathan Philip Brawner, and Nicholas Andrei Fedorov each met the criteria for the statewide recognition, which requires students to rank in the top 10 percent of their class and achieve the highest score on a single SAT date.
Established in 1958, the STAR program identifies high-achieving seniors across Georgia and recognizes the educators who have contributed most to their academic development.
At Midtown, their shared achievement reflects both individual discipline and a broader system designed to support students long before they sit for a college entrance exam.
“It means a lot to be a STAR Student,” said Nathan, who will attend the University of North Carolina in the fall. “I think it’s the culmination of everything I’ve done as a high school student and how hard I’ve worked. It’s nice to have recognition, especially because it’s rare to have four STAR Students, or to have two. To have four in this group is something I didn’t expect.”
That sense of shared accomplishment is rooted in years of preparation. All four students began their academic journeys in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) elementary programs and continued through Howard Middle School before arriving at Midtown.
“APS has always provided opportunities for students to push themselves,” Nathan said. “When I think back to SPARK (Springdale Park Elementary School), I was in the gifted program, and I think that really prepared me to excel in middle school and high school. It helped me push myself to the max, even at a really young age.”
Nicholas, who will attend Harvard University, attributes his success to a culture of access and mentorship.
“APS did an exceptional job preparing me for the world,” Nicholas said. “Every year I’ve been in APS or each grade I moved to, I found a teacher or multiple teachers who were really eager to connect with their students. Every single administrator or teacher in APS that I know, if you’re interested in something, they’re always eager to find you opportunities to get experience.”
At Midtown, those opportunities are paired with intentional academic support. The school has implemented a personalized SAT preparation program that connects students with targeted resources and practice materials.
Developed in partnership with its parent-run organization, the Midtown Foundation, the program saw an average score increase of nearly 32 points among participating students in its first year.
Midtown High School’s 2026 STAR Students: Min Woo Kang, Nicholas Andrei Fedorov, Nathan Philip Brawner, and Alexander Mendel Smith. APS©
Behind these outcomes is a network of support. Dr. Cheryl Nahmias, Midtown’s student support program specialist, works alongside counselors, graduation coaches, and administrators to address students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. Her work includes initiatives like Grad U, which provides dedicated time during the school day for students who are off track for graduation to recover credits.
“There is research that shows that kids who fail, especially in math, but even a couple of classes in ninth grade, are way less likely to graduate,” Dr. Nahmias said. “It really is a case of when you can stop the bleeding in ninth grade, you are statistically significantly improving students’ opportunities and the likelihood that they’re going to be successful in high school.”
That early intervention is accompanied by Midtown’s Ninth Grade Experience, which helps freshmen build study habits and navigate the demands of high school. Together with policies such as a bell-to-bell, phone-free school day, in which students secure personal devices in locked pouches to minimize distractions, these efforts have steadily increased the graduation rate from 87.8 percent in 2022 to 95.1 percent in 2025.
Dr. Nahmias also emphasized the broader implications of even modest gains on standardized tests.
“Students who attended two tutorial sessions and took three practice tests seem to have made the most significant gains,” Dr. Nahmias said. “What’s more, depending on a student’s starting score, a 30-point gain can foster more opportunities in terms of college admissions and scholarship money available to them.”
“For a student competitive at the 250th-ranked school (by average SAT), a 30-point improvement will unlock roughly 50 additional colleges,” she added. “Beyond admissions, those extra points can also secure significant merit aid.”
For students like Min, who will attend Emory University, the value of Midtown’s approach lies in its diverse offerings.
“When it comes to classes, APS has so many varieties,” Min said. “We have good sports programs and arts programs, but we also have engineering and different pathways, like photography. There are so many opportunities to explore and to figure out what you really want to do.”
That exploration is just as important as academic achievement. As they prepare to leave Midtown for higher education, each shared advice with future students, expressing that success is not defined only by scores.
“It’s important to push yourself academically, but it’s also important to put yourself out there,” Nathan said. “I think the relationships that I’ve built in Midtown with teachers through sports with my coaches, and even students and people that I’ve met through debate and other clubs, are more important than any test I took or SAT score I achieved.”
“Ninety percent of teachers at Midtown are super supportive of anything you do,” Nicholas echoed. “You should try to make those relationships early on. You shouldn’t be afraid to challenge yourself with your coursework. You always want to be a small fish in a big pond, rather than a big fish in a small pond.”
Alexander, also bound for Emory, is proof that their advice can be transformative.
“During my first couple of years of high school, I was really reserved,” Alexander said. “I didn’t talk to a lot of people or try a lot of new things, and this year I’ve been trying to do that a little bit more. I’ve just been a lot happier. It’s been a much better year, so I think [putting yourself out there] is a basic thing you can do to make your time at Midtown better.”
While sharing a four-way tie for STAR Students is rare, their achievements are possible. Each is the product of a district that prioritizes excellence and relationships, an approach that Midtown High School continues to refine as it prepares the next class of students to succeed and thrive.