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The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on Wednesday, Sept. 10, its 2026 list of semifinalist high school students who will now compete for a share of about 6,930 scholarships worth almost $26 million. Winners will be announced nationally between April and July next year. This is the 71st annual competition.
High school juniors — 11th graders — entered the 2026 academic competition by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. More than 1.3 million juniors, in about 20,000 high schools, entered the competition by taking the qualifying test.
The highest-scoring students in each state represent the pool of semifinalists who, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, represent less than 1% of United States high school seniors.
The next step for a semifinalist to become a finalist is to complete the required application that includes their SAT or ACT scores, an essay and a letter of recommendation by a high school official.
Finalists are then chosen on the basis of academic record, their participation in community and school activities, how they have demonstrated leadership ability, employment, awards and honors received.
From the group of about 16,000 semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level.
Students will be notified in February 2026 if they are finalists. All National Merit Scholarship winners are selected from this group of finalists, and about half of those are expected to win a scholarship from three categories.
National Merit $2500 Scholarships: Every finalist competes for one of 2,500 scholarships that are awarded on a state-representational basis
Corporate-sponsored scholarships: In 2026, about 830 corporate-sponsored awards will be given out by about 150 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria (such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located)
College-sponsored scholarships: About 150 colleges and universities finance about 3,600 awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor’s institution
The National Merit Scholarship winners, chosen on the basis of accomplishments, skills and potential for college success, are selected from the February finalists group. Winners are notified, on a rolling basis, in 2026 from April to July.
The 2026 scholarship winners join the nearly 389,000 past winners who have earned the title of Merit Scholar.
Here is the list of semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by school location and the school name:
Agoura Hills HS
Alhambra HS
Mark Keppel HS
Arcadia HS
St. John Bosco HS
Beverly Hills HS
Heritage HS
Burbank HS
International School Los Angeles
Viewpoint School
Canyon HS
California Academy of Mathematics and Science
Gretchen Whitney HS
Sierra Canyon School
Workman HS
Claremont HS
Webb Schools
Charter Oak HS
Culver City HS
Diamond Bar HS
Eagle Rock HS
Da Vinci Science HS
El Segundo HS
Vistamar School
Glendora HS
Granada Hills Charter HSAkopian, SarkisBowden, JasonKim, William
Glen A. Wilson HS
Flintridge Preparatory School
La Cañada HS
St. Francis HS
Crescenta Valley HS
Bishop Amat Memorial HS
The Archer School for Girls
Brentwood School
Benjamin Franklin HS
Geffen Academy at UCLA
Le Lycee Francais
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Loyola HS
Marlborough School
John Marshall HS
Marymount HS
Mesivta Birkas Yitzchok
Notre Dame Academy
Shalhevet HS
Windward School
Mira Costa HS
North Hollywood HS
Oakwood School
Science Academy STEM Magnet
Palisades Charter HS
Palos Verdes HS
Chadwick School
Home school/Online School
Blair HS
La Salle HS
Maranatha HS
Pasadena HS
Polytechnic School
Westridge School
Redondo Union HS
Reseda HS
Palos Verdes Peninsula HS
Rosemead HS
John A. Rowland HS
Gabrielino HS
San Marino HS
Academy of the Canyons
Cossroads School
New Roads School
Santa Monica HS
Notre Dame HS
South Pasadena HS
Campbell Hall
Harvard-Westlake School
Francis Polytechnic HS
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies
Temple City HS
South HS
West HS
Valencia HS
West Ranch HS
Van Nuys HS
Venice HS
Walnut HS
Chaminade College Preparatory
Oaks Christian School
Westlake HS
A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian School
William Howard Taft HS
 
High school students interested in applying in future years need to talk to their school counselor to make arrangements to take the PSAT/NMSQT test. Registration is through the high school and not by the students. For information on the competition, tinyurl.com/mrx4t933
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 and is an independent, not-for-profit group that does not operate with government assistance.
The goals of the organization are to reward academically-dedicated students, encourage academic excellence at all levels of education, promote a deeper respect for learning in general and to encourage individuals and organizations to sponsor scholarships.
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who demonstrate “exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” www.nationalmerit.org
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