Johnson Earns Place as National Merit Semi-Finalist

 

 

Special to The Edmonson News

 

Brayden Sanders Johnson, senior at Edmonson County High School, has earned the distinguished title of National Merit Semi-Finalist.  Juniors throughout the United States take the PSAT exam each year, and Brayden scored in the top 0.5% in Kentucky!  Brayden is the President of ECHS’s DECA and Math Clubs.  He is the captain of ECHS Tennis and the 2024 & 2025 (back-to-back) Singles Champion of the 3rd Region.  Brayden will graduate high school in May and plans to become a physician.  He is the son of Brad and Jodi Johnson of Bee Spring.

“I’m incredibly proud of Brayden’s hard work and dedication in earning this prestigious honor. Being named a National Merit Finalist is a rare achievement, and it’s a direct reflection of his tireless effort and commitment to excellence in everything he does.” -Jonathan Williams, Principal, Edmonson County High School

Academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 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.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by about 300 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

The National Merit® Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. For more information about the competition, please visit www.nationalmerit.org. NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP CORPORATION 1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200, Evanston, Illinois 60201-4897 (847) 866-5100 Contact: Eileen Artemakis or Matthew Budreau Phone: (847) 866-5100 Public Information Email: mediainfo@nmerit.net Website: www.nationalmerit.org