The National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC) recently announced the names of over 16,000 Semifinalists in the 71th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Homestead High School is excited to announce that six of our senior students have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists. Those students are: Anderson Brewer, Benjamin Friederichs, Aurko Ghose, Aditya Kosaraju, Siddharth Kosaraju, and Brady Youngstrom.

These academically talented seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of competition. Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

“It is an extraordinary honor to celebrate six National Merit Semifinalists at Homestead this year,” said Eric Ebert, Principal of Homestead High School. “These remarkable students exemplify not only academic excellence but also curiosity, perseverance, and integrity. Their achievements reflect the steadfast support of their families, the dedication of our exceptional educators, and their own commitment to learning and growth. We are incredibly proud of these young scholars, not just for their accomplishments in the classroom, but for the ways they contribute to our school and community as thoughtful and engaged citizens. We look forward to seeing all that they will continue to achieve in the years ahead.”

Over 1.3 million juniors across approximately 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Students who qualify as Semifinalists based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT are the only program participants who have an opportunity to advance to the Finalist level and compete for National Merit Scholarships. From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February, they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Finalists will be announced beginning in April 2026.

Find more information about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation at www.nationalmerit.org