NEW GLARUS — New Glarus High School is proud to recognize seniors Eli Smith and Emilia Rood for being named Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Program.
Eli and Emilia are among more than 16,000 academically talented students nationwide selected as Semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and include the highest-scoring students in each state.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Eli and Emilia and a reflection of their hard work, dedication, and commitment to academic excellence,” said New Glarus High School Principal Jeff Worzella. “We are proud to celebrate their achievement and the many ways they contribute to our school community.”
More than 1.2 million high school juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The Semifinalists were selected based on their performance on that qualifying test.
Eli and Emilia will now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships, worth about $24 million, to be awarded in the spring of 2027.
To advance to the Finalist level, Semifinalists must complete a detailed scholarship application, maintain an outstanding academic record, receive a recommendation from a school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying-test performance. Approximately 95 percent of Semifinalists are expected to advance to Finalist standing.
National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the Finalist group. The 2027 competition includes approximately 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships, corporate-sponsored scholarships, and college-sponsored scholarships.
“Recognition such as this is a wonderful accomplishment for these students,” said Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Thayer. “Eli and Emilia have demonstrated the academic focus and persistence that we hope to see in all of our students. We are excited to see what opportunities await them as they continue their education beyond New Glarus High School.”
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), established in 1955, conducts the annual National Merit Scholarship Program to recognize and encourage academic excellence among high school students. Scholarship funding is provided by NMSC as well as approximately 260 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors.
New Glarus School District congratulates Eli Smith and Emilia Rood on this outstanding achievement and wishes them continued success as they move forward in the National Merit Scholarship competition.
