MSJ emerges as top CA public school in National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

By Staff Writers Veer Mahajan, Lucas Zhang & Matthew Zhang

MSJ fielded 57 semifinalists from the Class of 2026 for the National Merit Scholarship(NMS), emerging as a top school in FUSD and CA. MSJ students qualified based on their results on the highly competitive 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), where fewer than 1% of the applicants around the entire country became semifinalists. This year was particularly competitive, reflected by sharp upticks in cutoff scores for many states — CA’s cutoff increased 4 points, for instance. 

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has conducted the PSAT/NMSQT since 1955. Having so many qualifiers reflects the community’s high performance on a rigorous test, as well as the dedication students put in, earning them up to $2,500 when applying for colleges if they become finalists.  “It shows that you’re capable [of achieving academic prestige], which can boost your application,” Class of 2025 NMS Recipient Aghilan Nachiappan said. 

The 57 qualifiers from MSJ make up 47.5% of the 120 semifinalists across FUSD. From a broader perspective, this performance placed MSJ at the top in terms of public schools in the state and second across all CA schools, beaten only by the Harker School, a private college preparatory school in San Jose. This marks a great improvement since last year, which saw 36 semifinalists from MSJ. “I’m not surprised [seeing so many students qualify for] the National Merit Scholarship. The National Merit Scholarship is pretty significant for our school and represents a pretty big honor. Mission just has this reputation and this culture where if you’re not doing the most that you can, then you are in some way behind,” semifinalist senior Roland Lee said.  

Semifinalists, who are determined by their performance on the test, number around 16,000 from a pool of 1.3 million test takers nationwide, meaning that only around 1% of students become semifinalists. The NMSC selects these qualifiers based on their PSAT/NMSQT selection index, a score calculated out of 228 that puts double the weight on the English section relative to math. This year, the CA cutoff was a selection index of 224 out of a maximum of 228, compared to 221 last year; the twelve largest states shifted up 2.25 points in their cutoffs, the largest one-year change recorded. After taking the PSAT/NMSQT exam, students submit information, including essays, school endorsements, and other relevant test scores as part of their application for the scholarship. Usually, around 15,000 students become finalists after this round of selection. Around half of the finalists receive a scholarship, of which there are three forms: the $2500 National Merit Scholarships, corporate scholarships, or college-sponsored scholarships. This scholarship can go towards college tuition and other educational expenses, easing the financial burdens a student may have. “[With the scholarship], I could attend colleges that are really expensive. It’ll also help me stand out, since getting the scholarships is a very prestigious award, so being able to have that on my application will make me look like a good candidate for colleges,” semifinalist senior Sahir Gupta said.

According to Gupta, Lee, and Nachiappan, the success of MSJ’s Class of 2026 in the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT not only emphasizes the academic excellence of MSJ but also reveals their dedication and hard work. “I’m proud of my students. It’s a great achievement, and they work hard and they deserve it. They have better work habits [and] they apply themselves more than students in the past would do,” Math Teacher Ümit Sahin said. Having almost half of the semifinalists from FUSD coming from MSJ is a milestone that sets high standards for future classes. “I don’t think that it’s about intelligence. It’s more about study habits being more hardworking,” Principal Amy Perez said.