BISD is proud to announce it has two National Merit Semifinalists and five National Merit Commended Scholars for the 2017–18 school year. Nearly 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools across the country entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program last year by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors received the prestigious designation of becoming a semifinalist this year. To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

National Merit Semifinalists

Richland High School
Peyton Murrell, senior
Michael Bonnet, early graduate of RHS and now attending St. Edward’s University

Commended Scholars

Birdville High School
Nick Powell, senior
Jackson Boyd, senior

Haltom High School
Nischal Shrestha, senior

Richland High School
Grit Saichua, senior
Brianna Steelman, senior

National Hispanic Recognition Scholars

Richland High School
Rachel Kelly, senior
David Serrato, senior

The National Merit Scholarship Program will announce additional program honorees later this school year.