Fairfax High Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Four students from Fairfax High School (FHS) are celebrating a major academic achievement—they’ve been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship competition. This recognition puts them among the top students in the nation, and each will now compete for some of the nearly $26 million in scholarship awards offered next spring.
The FHS semifinalists are Ethan Gertz, Ellie Russell, Kai Stone, and Shubha Udipi. All four have the opportunity to advance to finalist status by meeting high academic standards, submitting an official recommendation, and completing additional requirements.
They’re part of an elite group: More than 16,000 seniors nationwide were named semifinalists this year out of over 1.3 million juniors who entered the competition by taking the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT®. These semifinalists represent the top 1% of U.S. high school seniors, with the number of students chosen based on each state’s share of graduating seniors.
In 2025, three types of scholarships will be awarded: the National Merit $2,500 scholarships, corporate-sponsored scholarships, and college-sponsored scholarships. Winners will be announced in spring 2025.
