11 Pennridge seniors receive National Merit Scholarship status

Pennridge High School has announced that five of its seniors have been selected as 2026 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists, putting them in the top 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors. Six students received “Commended” status placing them in the top 3 percent.

Ananya Bhatt, Alin Grate, Daniel Kim, Ethan Luginbuhl and Lexi Steen will go on to compete to be National Merit finalists, said a Pennridge School District press release.

These 6 Pennridge High School students have earned “Commended” honors from the National Merit Scholarship Committee: Clare Ahn, Surabhi Gupta, Ethan Kwon, Sophia Ogden, Tyler Streuber and Tanush Vekaria.

More than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 PSAT test, which serves as an initial screening of program entrants. Around 16,000 students are chosen as semi-finalists after scoring very highly on the PSAT. The pool includes the highest-scoring entrants from each state.

Since the 2022-2023 school year, Pennridge has consistently had five students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Contest as “commended” or “semi-finalists,” an achievement not seen since the 2010-2011 school year, said the release.

“We are proud to celebrate our five Pennridge students who have earned recognition as National Merit Semifinalists, placing them among the top 1% of high school juniors across the nation,” said Superintendent Angelo Berrios, in a news release. “This remarkable achievement reflects their determination, the exceptional instruction of Pennridge teachers, and the supportive community that surrounds them. It is also a powerful reminder of what is possible when hard work and excellent teaching come together.”