{"id":44039,"date":"2025-11-12T18:24:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/44039\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:24:11","slug":"tallahassee-shines-with-19-semifinalists-for-national-merit-scholarships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/44039\/","title":{"rendered":"Tallahassee shines with 19 semifinalists for National Merit scholarships"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

Of the list of names released, 19 are out of Tallahassee.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Here’s a list of Tallahassee Semifinalists:<\/p>\n

Florida State University School:<\/p>\n

James S. Rickards High School:<\/p>\n

Lawton Chiles High School:<\/p>\n

\"More<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Leon High School<\/p>\n

Maclay School<\/p>\n

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com<\/a>. Follow her on Twitter\/X: @AlaijahBrown3.<\/a><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee students shine with 19 National Merit semifinalists<\/a><\/p>\n