PRLog (Press Release) -
Mar. 11, 2011 - Pantego Christian Academy student, Sarah C. Smith is one of approximately 15,000 academically talented high school seniors who have an opportunity to complete for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship®
award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2011 National Merit
Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)
, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the Semifinalist’
s participation and leadership in school and community activities. Congratulations, Sarah on this great honor.
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PCA is an independent, interdenominational preparatory school that provides a Christ-centered education in a secure, nurturing environment to more than 850 students in grades pre-K through 12 on two campuses in the DFW area.
