A total of 18 CCISD students and three FISD students are semifinalists, according to September media releases from CCISD and FISD. Commended students received notice in late September and semifinalists were notified earlier in September, per the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.
About 16,000 students received this recognition nationwide—less than 1% of high school seniors in the United States, per NMSC. Students entered the competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
PISD had 50 students receive letters of commendation for their academic promise, according to a Sept. 23 PISD media release. They rank among approximately 34,000 commended students nationwide, per NMSC.
These commended students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who took the PSAT to enter the competition; they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit scholarships.
Semifinalists at CCISD and FISD have an opportunity to compete for one of 7,500 finalist spots. Finalists receive one of three types of Merit Scholarship awards; click here to learn more about the awards. National Merit finalists will be announced in February.
To qualify as a finalist, students are evaluated based on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and endorsement by a high school official, per the CCISD release. National Merit winners, who are chosen from the group of finalists, will be announced in four nationwide news releases from April to July, per the CCISD release.
Campus by campus breakdown
Three students at Clear Brook High School, one at Clear Falls High School, 11 at Clear Lake High School and three at Clear Springs High School qualified as National Merit semifinalists, per the CCISD media release.
Friendswood High School had three students qualify as semifinalists, and they will be recognized by the board of trustees at its Oct. 11 meeting, per the FISD media release.
In Pearland ISD, two students at Turner College and Career High School, 33 from Dawson High School and 15 from Pearland High School were named as National Merit commended students, per the PISD media release.
