CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman Christian School’s Asa Haynes has been named a semifinalist in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic honors for high school students.
The school announced the honor on social media, calling it “an outstanding achievement” that “reflects tremendous dedication, academic excellence, and a commitment to success.”
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate Mr. Asa Haynes on being named a National Merit Semifinalist,” the school said. “We are excited to celebrate this well-deserved honor and look forward to all that Asa will accomplish!”
More than 1.2 million juniors from about 20,000 high schools entered this year’s program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). More than 16,000 students were named semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state, with each state’s number proportional to its share of the nation’s graduating seniors.
To advance to finalist, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application, have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier test performance. About 95% of semifinalists are expected to become finalists.
About half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship. Roughly 6,700 scholarships worth nearly $24 million will be awarded, with winners announced in four nationwide releases from April through July 2027.
