CARLSBAD, CA — A total of 190 San Diego County high school seniors — including 11 in Carlsbad — have been named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The students are among more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide who will have an opportunity to compete for about 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $24 million next spring, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Local semifinalists are from Carlsbad, Coronado, Encinitas, La Jolla, Lakeside, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, San Marcos, Solana Beach, Spring Valley and Vista.
More than 1.2 million high school juniors entered the competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
More than 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to finalist status in February. To qualify, students must submit a scholarship application detailing their academic record, school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment, honors and awards. They also must be endorsed by a school official, write an essay, and submit SAT or ACT scores confirming their earlier qualifying-test performance.
Scholarship winners will be announced in four rounds beginning in April and concluding in July.
These are the semifinalists in San Diego County:
Carlsbad High School
La Costa Canyon High School
Pacific Ridge School
Sage Creek High School
Coronado High School
The Grauer School
San Dieguito High School Academy
The Bishop's School
La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla High School
El Capitan High School
El Camino High School
Horizon Prep
Cal Coast Academy
The Cambridge School
Canyon Crest Academy
Canyon Hills High School
Cathedral Catholic High School
Del Norte High School
Patrick Henry High School
Homeschool/Online School
Mission Bay High School
Mount Carmel High School
Francis W. Parker School
O'Farrell Charter School
Rancho Bernardo High School
San Diego High School of International Studies
Scripps Ranch High School
St. Augustine High School
Torrey Pines High School
University City High School
Westview High School
San Marcos High School
Santa Fe Christian School
Steele Canyon High School
Tri-City Christian School
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