Caddo Parish once again is home to the largest number of National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the region, underscoring the district’s reputation for academic excellence.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation on Wednesday announced the names of semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors now have the chance to compete for nearly $26 million in scholarships and earn recognition as some of the nation’s top students.
Caddo’s 13 semifinalists all attend Caddo Parish Magnet High School. They are:
Cruz Balderas
Bryce Chandler
Hashir Chatha
Ezekiel Forsythe
Sutton Hardy
Ivy Joseph
Jai Koticha
Elaine Lu
Nathan Tatum
Maya Trutschl
Annelise Whited
Kevin Zhao
Johnny Zheng
“These students highlight the incredible potential of our young people,” said Superintendent Keith Burton said. “We are proud of their hard work, their dedication, and the teachers and families who supported them along the way.”
To advance to finalist standing, semifinalists and their schools must submit detailed scholarship applications that include academic records, leadership activities, employment, honors, and essays. About 15,000 semifinalists nationwide are expected to move forward.
More than 1.3 million juniors from about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors qualified as semifinalists, with the number in each state proportional to its share of graduating seniors.
Winners of the 2026 National Merit Scholarships will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July. Awards include scholarships funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, corporations, and colleges and universities.
In addition to scholarships directly from National Merit, about 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for Finalist. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.