Five Benton High School Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists
Five Benton High School seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, one of the nation's most recognized academic scholarship competitions.
Maggie Zhang, Alizon Padron, Ryne Lewallen, Thomas Gilliland, and Abdalrahman Abdalrahman were among more than 16,000 high school seniors nationwide announced as Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
More than 1.2 million juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The nationwide group of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.
Semifinalists have the opportunity to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Students must meet several requirements, including maintaining an outstanding academic record, receiving the recommendation of a high school official, completing an essay, and submitting qualifying SAT or ACT scores. More than 15,000 Semifinalists are expected to advance to Finalist standing.
Approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $24 million will be offered in spring 2027.
Benton School District congratulates Maggie, Alizon, Ryne, Thomas, and Abdalrahman on this exceptional achievement. We are proud of the dedication and academic excellence these students demonstrate and look forward to celebrating their continued success.
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