Columbia High School senior Noah Boyer-Edwards was recently named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program based on his test score on the PSAT/NMSQT taken during his junior year of high school. 

Boyer-Edwards also recently scored a perfect 36 on his ACT.

“This is a very prestigious honor, and he will have the opportunity to compete for multiple scholarship opportunities,” CHS school counselor Elyse Rench said. “We are very proud of Noah and all of his hard work.”

National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These seniors have an opportunity to  continue in the competition for some 7,140 scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered this spring. 

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the prestigious Merit Scholar title. 

A semifinalist must 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.