Athens Academy is pleased to announce that nine members of the Class of 2026 have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: five students as Semifinalists and four as Commended Students.

Congratulations to Brendan Golish, Zhenxi Li, Annie Luke, Remy Marty, and Weston Smart, who have been named Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program. As Semifinalists, these twelve students represent the top 1-2% of the highest scoring seniors across the country. They will continue in the competition for National Merit scholarships, which will be announced in the spring.

Of the 920 private schools in the state of Georgia, Athens Academy is proud to be ranked #6 for the number of National Merit Semifinalists recognized this year (tied with Marist and Wesleyan). Athens Academy also has more students recognized than any other private school in the Athens area and across North Georgia.

In addition, four seniors have been recognized as National Merit Commended Students, representing the top 3-4% of the highest scorers across the country. Congratulations to Riley Harding, Henry Thomas Garrard, Luke Kelly, and Bryce Paramore.

The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Of the 1.5 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills scores) qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program.

Congratulations to all of these very talented seniors! In addition to their academic strength, these nine students are artists, athletes, musicians, writers, and leaders. We are proud of our students and all those being recognized across our region.

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 58th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. The school is ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #6 private school in the state of Georgia (out of 400+ schools), and #1 private school in North Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.