Number Of National Merit Semifinalists At Highland Park High School Increases This Year

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Nine students from Highland Park High School advanced to the semifinalist round of the National Merit scholarship program, two more than last year.

The local high-scoring seniors announced Thursday are among the 16,000 students nationwide to be named semifinalists based on the results of the Preliminary SAT tests they took during their junior years.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will award nearly $26 million in scholarship money to 6,870 finalists in the spring and summer of 2025.

Here are this year's semifinalists from Highland Park High School, in alphabetical order:

• Amanda J. Altman
• Sadie L. Benjamin
• Nicolas G. Garcia
• Julian A. Kolthammer
• Siena H. Logan
• Charles N. Ludington
• Jayla S. Marcus
• Nicholas Prokos
• Benjamin L. Smollar

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an Evanston-based not-for-profit that distributes three types of scholarships every year.

It awards corporate-sponsored scholarships, mostly reserved for the children of people who work for a participating businesses, to about 770 students. Every year, it also awards $2,500 cash to 2,500 students out of its own funds.

But students awarded college-sponsored scholarships comprise the largest group of scholarship winners. About 3,800 students receive anywhere from $500 and $2,000 a year for up to four year of undergraduate study at one of about 150 participating colleges and universities.

To qualify as a finalist and win one of the scholarships, National Merit semifinalists must submit a detailed application, including an essay and recommendation from a high school official.

About 95 percent of semifinalists generally make it to the finalist level, and then nearly half of them are expected to be awarded a scholarship. Each state is allocated a number of semifinalists proportional to its overall population.

Last fall, seven members of HPHS's class of 2024 were named National Merit semifinalists. This year, one was awarded a corporate-sponsored scholarship, one was awarded a college-sponsored scholarship and one was awarded a cash scholarship.

Related:

• 7 Highland Park High School Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists
• HPHS Student Awarded Corporate-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship
• Highland Park Student Awarded Cash Scholarships From National Merit
• Highland Park High School Student Awarded College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship