Coppell ISD announced 49 National Merit semifinalists for the 2023-24 school year, breaking a district record and making Coppell High School the school with the highest number of semifinalists in Texas—and one of the highest in the nation, according to a news release Sept. 13.
A closer look
National Merit semifinalists represent those who scored in the top 1% of the PSAT from the previous year. About 16,000 high school seniors are named each year to compete for the final scholarship, meaning this year is based on the results from the 2022 PSATs. The district's previous record for the number of semifinalists was for the 2021-22 school year, when 40 students were named. In September of last year, the school announced 31 semifinalists with 18 more students being named this year.
The news release said the district's number of National Merit scholars is five times more than the national average.
