Carmel High School is celebrating a new school record after 64 members of the Class of 2027 were named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The 64 Carmel High School students represent the largest group of National Merit Semifinalists in school history, surpassing the school’s previous three-year average of approximately 50 Semifinalists annually.

“Every one of these students has earned an extraordinary academic distinction, and we are incredibly proud of their achievement,” said Principal Dr. Tim Phares. “These students represent the dedication, curiosity, and academic excellence that make Carmel High School such a remarkable place to learn. We are proud to celebrate not only this record number, but each individual student who has earned this recognition.”

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that began in 1955 and is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization. Students enter the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which is administered by College Board, and meeting other program requirements. More than 1.3 million students entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program through the PSAT/NMSQT.

NMSC uses students’ PSAT/NMSQT performance to calculate an NMSC Selection Index. Approximately 50,000 of the highest-scoring participants qualify for recognition, with about 16,000 students ultimately named Semifinalists. Semifinalists are selected on a state-representational basis, meaning that qualifying scores vary from state to state and from year to year. NMSC ranks eligible students within each state and establishes the qualifying score at the point that most closely fills that state’s allocation.

Indiana has approximately 310 National Merit Semifinalists this year, meaning Carmel High School’s 64 Semifinalists account for roughly one out of every five Indiana students receiving this prestigious recognition.

The scale of Carmel High School’s achievement is even more striking when viewed nationally. With 64 Semifinalists, Carmel High School has more than the total number of Semifinalists selected in more than a dozen states.

The 64 Carmel High School National Merit Semifinalists are:

1. Layla Abdo
2. Ananya Addepalle
3. Emma An
4. Charan Annangudi
5. Advik Chaudhary
6. Edward Chen
7. Katelyn Chen
8. Luke Choi
9. Venkata Chouturi
10. Matthew Clemens
11. Ian DeLillo
12. Jonathan Derksen
13. Neo Dong
14. Michelle Du
15. Rifaya Faisal
16. Shawn Feng
17. Valerie Fu
18. Wenlan Fu
19. Jacob Gleva
20. Keenan Homsi
21. Caroline Hulsey
22. Benjamin Isaac
23. Audrey Jachnik
24. Akhil Jois
25. Carson Kent
26. Annabelle Kim
27. Emma Lai
28. Rebecca Li
29. Olivia Lim
30. Benjamin Lu
31. Remy Malherbe
32. Guangying Meng
33. Abhinav Mortha
34. Charlotte Moser
35. Grant Mu
36. Kaarthik Nagarathinam
37. Eleanor Purvis
38. Draco Qiao
39. Jasmine Qiu
40. Drithi Raipet
41. Divya Rajendran
42. Amelia Robinson
43. Ellen Rozmaryn
44. Atharva Sahu
45. Angelina Shieh
46. Musfirah Sohail
47. Jack Stevenson
48. Charles Stock
49. Zhancheng Su
50. Stephanie Tan
51. Shawn Thind
52. Alexander Tichindelean
53. Themba Tshililiwa
54. Suvan Vaddadi
55. Rithvik Varigonda
56. Shivani Wadawadigi
57. Victor Wang
58. Allison Washburn
59. Angela Xiu
60. Kyle Yang
61. Ranie Yang
62. Michael Yuan
63. Ruihan Zhang
64. Yi Zheng

The National Merit Scholarship Program will continue throughout the 2026–2027 school year. Semifinalists who meet additional academic and program requirements may advance to Finalist standing, with scholarship winners selected from the Finalist pool beginning in spring 2027.

Carmel Clay Schools congratulates each of Carmel High School’s 64 National Merit Semifinalists on this outstanding achievement.