Photo by Richard Hurd
MMSD Leads the State in National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists
MADISON, Wis.—The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) holds the distinction of having more semifinalists for the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program than any other Wisconsin district.
West High School has 28 semifinalists, the most of any school in the state. Along with East (four semifinalists) and Vel Phillips Memorial (11), MMSD’s high schools are collectively home to 43 semifinalists, determined based on their performance on the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which tested participants in the areas of evidence-based reading, writing, language and mathematics.
The registration deadline for this year’s PSAT is Thursday, Sept. 24. In addition to eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program, students are encouraged to take the PSAT to get feedback on their college readiness and give themselves an idea of what to expect when they take the SAT as juniors.
“These results highlight the incredible talent, perseverance and dedication of our students, as well those who support them,” said Superintendent Joe Gothard. “Achievements like this remind us of the potential within every student and reinforce our commitment to providing rigorous, high-quality learning opportunities for them.”
Each year, National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists comprise approximately 16,000 seniors, out of an eligible pool of approximately 1.3 million. Of those 16,000 students, about 15,000 go on to receive the title of National Merit Scholar finalist, 6,390 of whom are selected as Merit Scholarship winners. The combined value of all scholarships issued by the program is over $33 million.
MMSD’s full list of semifinalists is as follows:
| Lauren Alibali (West) | Noah Estrella (West) | Mable Miller (Memorial) |
| August Andersen (West) | Raena Grainger (Memorial) | Enzo Ng (West) |
| Seth Banks (West) | Silas Grant (West) | Josh Pierotti (Memorial) |
| Josemaria Barut (East) | Zijun He (West) | Gabriela Retana (West) |
| Joseph Beal (West) | Isaac Hessman (West) | Brandon Royalty (West) |
| Theodore Beilfuss (East) | Oliver Hoeksema (East) | Simon Sellwood (Memorial) |
| Madeleine Bohn (West) | Anya Isaac (Memorial) | Hunter Shadman (West) |
| Edward Bradbury (West) | Naomi Jovaag (East) | Kayla Shelton (Memorial) |
| Alex Byrnes (Memorial) | Tavish Kennedy (West) | Ravi Suryan-Beilin (West) |
| Michelle Cai (Memorial) | Steven Kuemmel (West) | Beatrice Vaughan (West) |
| Timon Cantley (West) | Thanish Lankella (Memorial) | Rosemary Walsh (West) |
| Samuel Carlsson (West) | Eleanor Lawler (West) | Clara Warrick (West) |
| Angelina Chang (West) | Jason Li (Memorial) | Chase Xia (West) |
| Christabel Engel (West) | Mae Loewen (West) | Nina Zhu (Memorial) |
| Benjamin Mayeshiba (West) |
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About the Madison Metropolitan School District
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.