The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced that ten Alachua County Public School students have been awarded National Merit Scholarships, bringing the total number of ACPS students to win the coveted scholarships in 2026 to 11.
To qualify for a scholarship, the students first had to reach National Merit Semifinalist status by earning scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test that placed them among the top one percent of the nation’s seniors. They then had to be named Finalists by earning top scores on the SAT or ACT and submitting an extensive application. That application included an essay, a recommendation by a high school official, academic records and documentation of extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions.
The list of Scholars released this week represented students who won scholarships funded by U.S. colleges and universities. Previous announcements were for scholarships financed by corporations or the National Merit Scholarship Corporation itself. In April, Eastside High School senior Irma Rahman was named winner of a corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship.
Nationwide, about half of National Merit Finalists become Merit Scholarship Winners. For Alachua County Public Schools, 11 of the district’s 16 finalists were named Scholars, about 70%.
The Scholars announced this week are:
Buchholz High School: Annika Caedington, Shailey Karri, Evan Rotchford, Keith Zheng
Eastside High School: Francheska Melendez, Juhyung Seong
Gainesville High School: Madeleine Goodrich, Irma Impink,
Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School: Logan Rockwell
Santa Fe High School: Robert Hu