FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAGUNA BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
CONTACT: ANAKAREN UREÑO
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT
949-497-7700 EXT. 5232

September 11, 2025

Two Laguna Beach High School seniors named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit® Scholarship Program

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – Two Laguna Beach High School seniors, Estella Newton and Zoe Tran, have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®). They now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth nearly $26 million, which will be awarded in the spring of 2026.

To advance to the finalist level, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements, including submitting a detailed scholarship application and demonstrating high academic performance. In collaboration with a high school official, they must provide information on their academic records, school and community involvement, leadership abilities, honors, and awards received, along with an essay and verified SAT® or ACT® scores. While SAT® and ACT® scores are not required for admission to public universities in California (UCs and CSUs), these tests may still be optional or required for private universities and out-of-state institutions.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our students. Being named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists is an extraordinary honor, placing them among the top academic scholars in the nation,” said LBHS Principal Jason Allemann, Ed.D. “This recognition reflects not only their talent and determination, but also the encouragement and support of our entire school community. We congratulate these outstanding students and look forward to all they will achieve in the year ahead.” 

Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in the state. 

National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists will be notified of their Finalist status in February 2026. All National Merit Scholarship winners, announced beginning in April, will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are chosen based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

# # #