FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CCES is pleased to announce that three seniors have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition. Congratulations to Isabella Kanos, Priya Lafeber, and Hamilton Shew. These Semifinalists will now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,900 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered next spring.
Last October, high school juniors Nationwide entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as the initial screening of program entrants. The 16,000 Semifinalists represent less than one percent of the U.S. high school seniors and include the highest scoring entrants in each state.
To become a Finalist and to be considered for National Merit Scholarships, a student must present an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying PSAT.