Additional School District Five student named National Merit Scholarship winner

For Immediate Release – May 11, 2023

Additional School District Five student named National Merit Scholarship winner

IRMO – An additional student from Lexington-Richland School District Five has earned a National Merit Scholarship.

Ebonee Davis (Dutch Fork High) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship.  The award to this student was part of the second round of National Merit Scholarship award announcements. Winners of the college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award will be announced next month and in July.

National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.

This year’s National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2021 when high school juniors took the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named Semifinalists on a state-representational basis. More than 16,000 Semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.

From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. Additional National Merit Scholarship awards will be announced nationwide June 7 and July 10.