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National Merit

Nearly 60% of Class of 2024 Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program

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The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program and nearly 60% of BASIS Independent Schools Class of 2024 have been recognized as Semifinalists and Commended Scholars this school year.

20% of the Class of 2024 have been named Semifinalists across our five high schools including BASIS Independent Brooklyn, Fremont, Manhattan, McLean, and Silicon Valley. Each state has different cutoff scores for the honors, and our BASIS Independent Schools are in some of the most competitive states – California, New York, and Virginia — for semifinalist qualification.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), 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 each state.

Since 1955, the NMSC has been well-recognized as a marker of academic excellence. Each year, BASIS Independent Schools students are honored for their academic achievements. In addition to our stand-out Senior Year experience offered at our school, which encompasses content-rich Capstone Classes and The Senior Project, the distinction bestowed upon our students equips them with the ability to present themselves exceptionally well during the college admissions process uniquely.

“This is a reflection of all the hard work of our students and Subject Expert Teachers,” said Vice President of BASIS Independent Schools, Mr. Toby Walker. “We have every confidence that our program equips our students with the skills, knowledge, and experience to take high stakes assessments such as the PSAT, SAT, and Advanced Placement® exams so that they can gain this type of recognition.”

“Having our students recognized at this national level fills all of us with immense pride and we look forward to celebrating our semi-finalists becoming finalists,” expressed Mr. Walker.

Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

3 BASIS Independent McLean Students Honored as National Merit Semifinalists

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On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program – including 3 BASIS Independent McLean students. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), 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 each state.

“Congratulations to our Red-Tailed Hawk National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists! We could not be prouder of them. They are all such great examples of what can happen when you work hard and dedicate yourself to the pursuit of academic greatness.” said Jason Shorbe, Head of School at BASIS Independent McLean. 

The honored students at BASIS Independent McLean are:

Chelsea H. ’24

Paulina H.’24 (Not Pictured)

Orien L.’24

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. The scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 375,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

On behalf of all BASIS Independent Schools, we are so proud of you – and of all of our students – for your continual academic achievements both big and small. Please join us in congratulating our incredible Red-Tailed Hawks!

BASIS Independent Manhattan Students Honored as National Merit Semifinalists

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On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. In our school’s first year of eligibility, we are pleased to share that two BASIS Independent Manhattan seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists. These students have been with our school since the beginning, starting in 6th grade. Throughout their time here, they have consistently excelled in academics, extracurricular activities, and community service.

Among the16,000 Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program, we are pleased to recognize our honored students at BASIS Independent Manhattan: Scarlett S. (Class of ’24) and Zachary S. (Class of ’24).

“Watching the students go through the full academic experience at BASIS Independent Manhattan and starting to receive these awards and honors feels gratifying and motivating. Proper recognition is finally coming our way, marking the beginning of an incredibly strong future for our school,” said LaNette Hodge, Head of School at BASIS Independent Manhattan.

Zach and Scarlett at an awards ceremony during their grade 6 year at BASIS Independent Manhattan.

When asked about this achievement, Scarlett commented, “It feels really great to be honored for all of the hard work I have put into my studies.” She has always been a student who goes above and beyond, which is something our community witnessed just last year when Scarlett placed second in the BASIS Means Business competition as the only all-female, one-person team.

Ms. Williams (Subject Expert Teacher, Latin) said, “I have had the pleasure of teaching Zach Latin for the past six years. He is a student who — once exposed to a new topic — will dive into it whole-heartedly by not only participating in all class activities but also researching deeply. I am astounded at his academic ability and brilliant thought processes which enable him to make connections far beyond the classroom.”

These two Wildcats consistently impress their peers and teachers with their diligence and dedication. In addition to this recognition, both Scarlett and Zach have been awarded as AP Scholars with Distinction.

More about the National Merit Scholarship Program: High school juniors entered the 2024 program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), 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 each state. The scholarship winners will be selected from a group of Finalists between April and July 2024.

Please join us in congratulating our incredible Wildcats!

10 BASIS Independent Fremont Students Honored as National Merit Semifinalists

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On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program—including 10 BASIS Independent Fremont students. Alongside our 10 Semifinalists, we proudly celebrated 14 Commended Scholars, totaling 60% of the class receiving recognition.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), 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 each state.

Although, National Merit Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and at our school they represent one out of four of our seniors this year which is an incredible achievement!

“As the first graduating senior class, it is exciting to have our students nationally recognized for all of their efforts in being exemplary scholars and future leaders. This nomination is one of many indicators of their strength and potential to succeed in all that they do. I am incredibly proud of our students. Congratulations Yellow Jackets!” said Francine Davis, Head of School at BASIS Independent Fremont. 

The honored students at BASIS Independent Fremont are:

Christopher C.

Heeya D.

Shirley F.

Revant K.

Yifei L.

Alicia P.

Aidan P.

Anjali P.

Ruoqing W.

Alan X.

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. The scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 375,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

On behalf of all BASIS Independent Schools, we are so proud of you—and of all of our students—for your continual academic achievements both big and small. Please join us in congratulating our incredible Yellow Jackets!

BASIS Independent Fremont is a grades TK-12 private school based in Fremont, California, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

22 BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Students Honored as National Merit Semifinalists

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On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program – including 22 BASIS Independent Silicon Valley students. Alongside our 22 Semifinalists, we proudly celebrated 40 Commended Scholars, totaling over 70% of the class receiving recognition. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), 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 each state. 

“I continue to be amazed by our student body every year. This external validation of our students, and their hard work and determination, is always an exciting way to start off the school year with our upcoming Senior Class. Congratulations to our Bobcats!” said Sara Kolb, Head of School at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. 

The honored students at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley are:

Akshaya A. Ajan

Paras Goel

Alina Huang

Robert Ji

Shreyas Kapavarapu

Saanchi Kapoor

Nivedita P. Kripalani

Ethan Y. Liu

Shreyas M. Nanjanagud

Alyssa E. Naoumov

Maggie J. Peng

Max Polosky

Maya Sriram

Anoushka A. Tamhane (not pictured)

Caitlyn N. Tom

Brandon M. Tsai

Shivaani Venkatachalam

Achyuth K. Vivek

Ellie Xi

Paulina Xu

Ivan Y. Zhang

Meryl Zhang

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. The scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 375,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

On behalf of all BASIS Independent Schools, we are so proud of you – and of all of our students – for your continual academic achievements both big and small. Please join us in congratulating our incredible Bobcats!

Seven BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Students Named National Merit Scholarship Winners in 2023!

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From approximately 1.5 million students who entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program, only about 16,000 were named Semifinalists – 31 of them were BASIS Independent Silicon Valley students. Of those 16,000 Semifinalists, just over 15,000 were named Finalists – all 31 of our Semifinalists were named Finalists.

Of the 31 Finalists, seven of our students have now been named Winners!

Congratulations to Annie C., Dhanvi G., Sayuri G., Alyson J., Trisha R., Meha S., and Rohit V. who have been announced as National Merit Scholarship Winners! We are so proud of our Bobcats!

Annie C .

Alyson J.

Dhanvi G.

Trisha R.

Rohit V.

Sayuri G.

Meha S.

The recipients of this award are the winners in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

This year’s National Merit Scholarship Program began in Fall 2021 when over 1.6 million juniors in approximately 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named Semifinalists on a state-representational basis. Only these 16,000 Semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.

From the Semifinalist group, some 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. By the conclusion of the 2023 program, about 7,200 Finalists will have earned the Merit Scholar title and received a total of 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.