Six Richardson ISD students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Six students from Richardson Independent School District have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. They are part of a group of 16,000 high school seniors recognized in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students represent less than 1% of all seniors across the country and include the highest test-scoring entrants in each state.

The recognition follows the administration of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen for over 1.2 million students across approximately 20,000 high schools. The 2027 National Merit program will award 6,700 scholarships worth nearly $24 million in the spring. Semifinalists will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for these awards.

National Merit Finalists are noted for exceptional academic abilities and are highly recruited by selective colleges. Some institutions offer significant scholarships or full rides based on this status. The six Richardson ISD students named as semifinalists are Eliya Asoulin-Handelman, Naomi Drazin, and Gabriel Frydman from J.J. Pearce High School, along with Huxley Johnson, Hill Liles, and Tyler Stead from Richardson High School.

Final scholarship winners will be announced in the spring of 2027. Recipients will join approximately 395,000 other individuals who have earned the Merit Scholar title in the program’s history.