The following is a submission from SMMUSD. Photo: The finalists from SMMUSD with teachers and staff.
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) is thrilled to congratulate five National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and 29 Commended Students who have been recognized for academic excellence. These students rank among the top-scoring participants in the National Merit Scholarship Program, a distinction achieved by less than 4% of entrants nationwide.
Out of 1.5 million entrants, about 50,000 with the highest Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program as semifinalists and commended students.
For Santa Monica High School (Samohi) Semifinalists are Eli Bendersky Boreth, Camille Choe, Sabrina Glasser, Carly Knauf and Kaveh Naini. Commended Students are James Baxter, Leo Bernknopf, Sloane Bryant, Eleanor Cadena, Nathaniel Chin, Ruby Dembo, Yungbihn Douglas, Zephyr Fehmers, Mateo Haykinson, Shelby Katzen, Rana Kurt, Andrew Lau, Harper McCallum, Tobin Palmer, Alexander Paris-Callahan, Clara Percus, Noah Pust, Govind Raman, Alexander Sebastian, Marina Shickler, Emma Stajduhar, Matthew Tigrak, Silas Tropea-Lester, Rosalie Tsirlin, Connor Wong and Stephen Yoon.
The Commended Students from Malibu High School (MHS) are Aidan Colburn, Tanner Kies and Zoe Retts.
“We are incredibly proud of each of our semifinalists and commended students,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton. “Their accomplishments demonstrate remarkable dedication and intellectual curiosity. These students remind us what is possible when perseverance meets passion, and they represent the excellence that defines our district.”
According to the National Merit Scholarship website, “semifinalists are designated on a state representation basis and are the highest scoring entrants in each state.” The website goes on to explain that in order for semifinalists to advance to finalist standing in the competition, they must meet high academic standards, as well as other requirements outlined in the information provided to each semifinalist.
Additionally, out of the 50,000 students recognized, 34,000 are commended students. These students receive letters of commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Although commended students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some do become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
The SMMUSD Board of Education recognized the Samohi students at its Nov. 20 regular meeting and will recognize the MHS students at its Feb. 5, 2026, meeting in Malibu.
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