national merit honors for 5 seniors
9/26/2025
National recognition! 3 Montrose seniors were honored as National Merit Semifinalists, out of only 282 in the entire state – overperforming by a factor of 10. Massachusetts has the highest score cutoff for honors of any state in the U.S., so the 3 seniors had to receive near-perfect scores on the qualifying test to earn this distinction.
In addition, 2 Montrose seniors were honored as National Merit Commended Scholars, after scoring among the top 3% in the U.S. on the qualifying test. Almost 14% of the senior class received National Merit honors.
Congratulations to Semifinalists Gabriella D. ‘26, Carolina F. ‘26 and Sanya N. ‘26, and Commended Students Kayla D. ‘26 and Callie J. ‘26!
To qualify, students must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during their junior year, achieve a high score in their state, and complete several steps to become a Finalist, including submitting a scholarship application, an essay, and SAT/ACT scores, all while maintaining a strong academic record and receiving principal endorsement.
What is the Montrose difference in National Merit success?
This year’s National Merit Semifinalists reflected on diverse dimensions of their Montrose experience to position them well for such standardized tests success, and their insights confirm the Montrose principle that academics and character development are two sides of the same coin, and school and parent partnership are keys to success.
Sanya N. ‘26 said: “I chose Montrose because I wanted a place that would challenge me academically but also help me grow as a person. The focus on character and leadership, along with the close-knit community/sisterhood, rigorous curriculum and wide range of extracurriculars, made it different from other schools. I knew I’d be pushed here not just in my studies, but in becoming the kind of person I want to be.”
Another National Merit Semifinalist, Gabriella D. ‘26, emphasized the value of habit building through the rigor of Montrose’s advanced curriculum. She said: “Preparing for AP exams got me in the practice of focusing on completing difficult problems to improve my performance on standardized exams.”
Semifinalist Carolina F. ‘26 added: "I think the way we are pushed to write well in all our classes and look for hidden meanings in texts has allowed me to do well. Our rigorous STEM curriculum has also allowed me to get ahead in the math knowledge necessary to perform well in these tests.”
Rigor, combined with strong habit development, and whole-student focus are the ingredients that contribute to these outstanding young scholars’ successes.
And their responses? Gratitude —
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to parents — dads who “helped with practice problems” (Gabriella) and moms “for always being there and supporting me no matter what” (Sanya) and “who do so much behind the scenes so I can focus on my studies” (Carolina).
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And “to Montrose for creating an environment where I’ve been able to push myself, ask questions, and grow both academically and personally.”