National Merit semifinalists

Fox Lane High School seniors Nora Dooley and David Matz have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.3 million juniors entered by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, including the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Nora and David have an opportunity to continue in the competition for a chance to win one of 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. To become a finalist, each student must submit a scholarship application, providing information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. They also need to be recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their performance on the PSAT.