Three Bartlesville High School seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced today.

Nidhi Sreelatha Rajesh, Sahara Stamps, and Andrew Zhu are among more than 16,000 students nationwide, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, to earn Semifinalist standing. The distinction is based on scores from the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), taken by more than 1.2 million students across the country.

Semifinalists now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth about $24 million, which will be offered in spring 2027. To advance to the Finalist level, each Semifinalist must complete a detailed scholarship application documenting academic record, school and community involvement, leadership and honors, along with an essay and confirming SAT or ACT scores.

"We are incredibly proud of these students for earning recognition as National Merit Semifinalists,” said Superintendent Chancellor. “This achievement reflects not only their exceptional academic ability, but also the dedication, curiosity, and hard work they bring to school each day. On behalf of our entire district, congratulations!"

About 95% of Semifinalists nationally are expected to advance to Finalist standing, with roughly half of Finalists ultimately earning the Merit Scholar title.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit nationalmerit.org.