Idaho’s brightest high school seniors have been recognized on a national stage. This week the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that 86 students from the Gem State earned semifinalist status for the 2027 competition, joining roughly 16,000 peers nationwide.
What the honor means
Semifinalists represent about 1% of U.S. seniors and are selected primarily on their SAT scores. Those who advance to finalist standing become eligible for one of the 6,700 scholarships the organization distributes, totaling about $24 million in aid.
Idaho’s strong showing
The Boise School District led the state with 32 semifinalists, followed by West Ada School District’s 12. Charter schools contributed roughly eight students, and several rural districts added representatives as well. The number of semifinalists each district receives is proportional to its graduating senior class, reflecting Idaho’s overall academic growth.
According to a September 9 press release from National Merit, about 95% of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and roughly half of those finalists will secure a National Merit Scholarship and the coveted Merit Scholar title. Finalist selections will be announced between April and July 2027.
List of Idaho semifinalists
Below is the roster of Idaho students, organized by school and city of residence:
- Boise High: Apel, Abingdon; Apreotesi, Joshua; Barton, Ella; Coyle, Lucy; Fields, Scarlet; Fullerton, Bridget; Hajjar, Abigail; Hill, Andrew; Hofeditz, Lila; Hoobing, Belen; Hower, Spencer; McGrath, Fiona; Noble, Grady; Parent, Jack; Walker, Regan; Wallace, Max; Yun, Jacob
- Borah High: Zedwick, Halaia
- Timberline High: Ayyapureddi, Vibodh; Cheng, Cody; Foy, Ronin; Ide, Truman; Kasthuri, Asa; Kim, Kelly; Koch, Elijah; Liu, Daniel; Radhakrishnan, Mahika; Rai, Varin; Simeri, Louisa; Tamano, Kiichi; Zhang, Jiawei; Zubery, Aubin
- Centennial High: Yang, Daniel
- Homeschool: Slatzer, Emilee
- Inspire Connections Academy: Reynolds, McKinley
- Bishop Kelly High: Druist, Elizabeth C.; Druist, Stephen P.; Martinez, Kevin J.; O’Riordan, Elena C.; Trotta, Marco L.; Turcotte, Henry L.; Westmark, Adam M.
- One Stone: Landry, Dane
- Riverstone International School: Chen, Grace; Darrington, Jane
- Vision Charter School: Bergquist, Matthew
- Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy: Jurgensen, Noah; Keith, Owen
- Coeur d’Alene High: Kennedy, Ronan; Kline, Allyson; Towery, Karsten; Wigdahl, Noah
- Homeschool: Kressin, Marius
- Lake City High: Tuttle, Freja I.
- Eagle High: Kuczek, Lillian
- Filer High: Huerta‑Gonzalez, Ethan
- Treasure Valley Classical Academy: Jensen, Hannah P.
- Grangeville High: Walsh, Elizath
- Wood River High: O’Reilly, Aoife A.
- Compass Academy: McCartin, Audrey
- Idaho Falls High: Kingma, Isaac C.
- Skyline High: Baczuk, Benjamin
- Thunder Ridge High: Xing, Benjamin J.
- McCall‑Donnelly High: Campbell, Caleb; Prittie, Grant
- Ambrose School: Bokma, Kaelan; Vogt, Elizabeth
- Mountain View High: Going, Carson; Miller, Max
- Renaissance High: Jo, Minkyu; Roscheck, Jade; Stucki, Joshua; Wall, Jared
- Rocky Mountain High: Daniels, Kohen; Hines, Miriam; Majors, Michael; Uechi, Kenichiro
- Logos School: Henreckson, David
- Moscow High: Johnson‑Leung, Hannah G.
- Ridgevue High: Allred, Gabe
- Highland High: Morris, Cole
- Immaculate Conception Academy: Eberlein, Jacob A.
- Post Falls High: Vandivier, Eli
- North Idaho STEM Charter Academy: Garwick, Adley
- Twin Falls High: Irby, Scout
- Xavier Charter School: Aiello, Olivia
Why the achievement matters for Idaho families
These recognitions highlight the dedication of Idaho students, parents, and educators. For families, a National Merit Scholarship can ease the financial burden of college tuition while underscoring the value of rigorous academic preparation. School districts can point to these results as evidence of strong curricula and supportive learning environments, reinforcing the importance of continued investment in education.
Local communities are encouraged to celebrate the students’ hard work and to use this momentum to inspire younger learners. As the finalists are announced next spring, Idaho’s students will once again demonstrate the state’s commitment to academic excellence.
Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.
