The National Merit Scholarship Competition has announced its 2025 semifinalists with over 16,000 teens from across the country competing for scholarships totaling up to $26 million offered in the spring of 2026.
Of the list of names released, 19 are out of Tallahassee.
“As a former high school principal, it was always a sense of pride to have so many National Merit semifinalists and finalists. Now I carry that same sense of pride as superintendent throughout the county,” Leon Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna told the Tallahassee Democrat.
He added: “We have a lot of the best and brightest kids right here in our public school system and for them to be recognized is quite an honor and a tribute not only to their academic success, but also to the teachers who prepared them for this moment.”
The semifinalists entered the competition as high school juniors after taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) which serves as an initial screening of program entrants.
Students who passed the exam were given the opportunity to apply for the competition with a detailed application including an outstanding academic record, extracurriculars, a recommendation by a high school official, a qualifying SAT or ACT score, and an essay.
As they prepare to graduate high school, the semifinalist will find out in May if they are finalists and will receive scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at one of 149 associated sponsor colleges and universities.
Here’s a list of Tallahassee Semifinalists:
Florida State University School:
James S. Rickards High School:
Lawton Chiles High School:
More than 400 graduates from Leon High School received their diplomas during the Leon High graduation ceremony at the Tucker Civic Center on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Leon High School
Maclay School
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee students shine with 19 National Merit semifinalists