Haddonfield Memorial High School principal Tammy McHale with the semifinalists, Sean P. Kasko and Abigail E. Frey.
Haddonfield Memorial High School seniors Abigail Frey and Sean Kasko are semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit
Scholarship Program by taking last year’s 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test, an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
As semifinalists, Frey and Kasko are two of the 16,000 academically talented high-school
students who represent less than 1% of seniors nationwide. They now have an
opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,900 National Merit Scholarships worth
nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level. Each one – along with a school official – must submit a detailed scholarship application that provides information about the
studednt’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated
leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.
A semifinalist must also have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high-school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
About 95% of semifinalists are expected to be named finalists, half of whom will win a scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar title. Three kinds of scholarships will be offered next spring and every finalist will compete for a $2,500 scholarship awarded on a state-representational basis.
About 770 awards will be provided and sponsored by some 130 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet the specified criteria of the sponsoring company, such as children of employees or residents of communities where companies are based. About 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
