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Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

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Chattanooga boy gets all TCAP math problems correct

photo East Lake Elementary fourth-grader Tiryq Thomas takes a sixth-grade level reading test with teacher Felicia Banks on Monday. He is one of 12 Hamilton County students to score a perfect 900 on the math portion of the TCAP, the state’s standardized test.

Nearly everyone agrees that Tiryq Thomas is a high-achieving student. And now, he’s got the numbers to prove it.

Tiryq, 9, was one of a few Hamilton County elementary school students to receive a perfect score on last spring’s third-grade state math test, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.

Of the thousands of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who took math assessments last year in county schools, about a dozen received a perfect score of 900, said Cheryl Ladd, the school district’s testing and data coordinator. She said a few perfect scores are common each year.

Administrators at East Lake Elementary recently surprised Tiryq with a trophy and an assembly to announce his perfect score.

“I was dumbstruck,” he said. “I couldn’t believe I’d done that.”