Out of over 1.3 million students who entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program, only about 16,000 made it to the semifinalists stage. Among them, 22 were students from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. All 22 of our Semifinalists progressed to the finals round, where just over 15,000 students were named Finalists.

Now, we’re thrilled to announce that out of the 22 Finalists, five of our students have been declared Winners!

Congratulations to Akshaya A., Ethan L., Shreyas N., Maya S., and Ivan Z. who have been announced as National Merit Scholarship Winners! We are so proud of our Bobcats!

Akshaya A.

Ethan L.

Shreyas N.

Maya S.

Ivan Z.

The recipients of this award are the winners in each state who have demonstrated outstanding achievements, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners in each state is determined by its percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

These Scholars were chosen by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors based on various criteria, including academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations.

This year’s National Merit Scholarship Program began in Fall 2022, with over 1.3 million juniors from about 21,000 high schools taking the PSAT/NMSQT®. From this pool, Semifinalists were selected, representing less than one percent of high school seniors nationwide. Only about 15,000 students advanced to the Finalist stage, with approximately 7,140 earning the Merit Scholar title and receiving over $28 million in college scholarships.

Congratulations to our winners!

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bobcat community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.