All five Jefferson High School students named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program have advanced to finalist status, placing them among the top high school scholars in the country.

The finalists are seniors Edmund Gallia, Alexander Krotz, Duncan McDonald, Sarah Rash and Conor Sweeney. Each finalist receives a certificate of merit and is a candidate for a merit scholarship to be awarded this spring.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and more than 6,900 scholarships worth a combined total of nearly $26 million. National Merit Scholars are selected based on students’ skills, accomplishments and potential for success in college.

Qualifications for the 2026 National Merit Program include maintaining an outstanding academic record throughout high school and taking the preliminary SAT (PSAT) as a junior, which serves as an initial screening of the more than 1.3 million students who enter. BPS offers all juniors the opportunity to take the PSAT during the school day; nearly 200 BPS students take the PSAT each fall.