@LARA1 - ok....back to my earlier point - if you want that to be the value, how do you decide which file_id is used?

example, non-verbal is in the table multiple times and it has a different file_id each time

Repost this exactly as you expect it with the values filled in:

 <div class="form-group">
              <label class="text-left">Select Highest Record</label>
              <select name="" id="">
                <option>Select Highest Record</option>
                <option value="">Select Highest Verbal</option>
                <option value="">Select Highest Quantitative</option>
                <option value="">Select Highest Non-Verbal</option>
               <option value="">Select Highest Spatial</option>
              </select>
            </div>