Dozens of students from across the D.C. region have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists, positioning them for coveted scholarship money.

The National Merit program, which started in 1955, is a competition that students participate in by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Some school districts offer the exam for free to high school juniors.

On Friday, Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia’s largest school system, announced it had 241 finalists from 16 different schools. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has 105 finalists, according to a news release.

“It’s one data point, number one, but it’s a significant data point,” Superintendent Michelle Reid told WTOP. “And it’s one that shows you our arc of improvement and commitment to excellence.”

In Fairfax, Reid said about 70% of juniors take the PSAT exam, compared to about half of all juniors in Virginia. In the last two years, the division has introduced nearly 40 new courses, and Reid said, “we want to make sure that these actions are resulting in stronger student achievement.”

The National Merit data, she said, “are an indicator that our work is definitely paying off for our students.”

In Prince William County, six students have been recognized as 2026 National Merit Scholarship finalists. Six more who previously attended school in Prince William are finalists from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Loudoun County reported 69 semifinalists for 2026, a spokesman said, adding that finalist details are expected there later this month. Eighteen Loudoun students won National Merit Scholarships during the 2024-25 academic year. Five of those earned college-sponsored scholarships, 11 were National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners and two earned corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

A spokesman for D.C. Public Schools said a list of finalists from the city is expected this month.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, over 100 students were named National Merit semifinalists. A division spokeswoman said they’re awaiting a list of finalists.

Prince George’s County Public Schools hasn’t released details on its semifinalists or finalists.

Community service, academic performance, PSAT/NMSQT scores, leadership roles and award recognition are all used to pick the finalists.

The finalists from school systems across the U.S. compete for National Merit Scholarships, which are $2,500, college-sponsored scholarships and corporate-sponsored financial awards. The group competes for nearly 7,000 National Merit Scholarship awards that are worth almost $26 million in total.

Reid said National Merit recognition is typically included in applications for local scholarships and internship opportunities, too.

“There are all types of assessments as we go through life that we need to sit for, and this is one that has an opportunity to potentially also provide good information about course-taking patterns in that senior year,” Reid said. “There may be a course that a student hadn’t thought of that the assessment may say, ‘Hey, you have a real propensity to be successful in this particular area.'”