student holding letter with counselor and principal; National Merit Scholarship logo, Azle ISD logo

AHS senior Katalina Brunetti has been named a Semifinalist in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program for her performance on the 2023 PSAT.

More than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

Katalina is one of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists selected, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition to attain Finalist status and consideration for a National Merit Scholarship award and the Merit Scholar title.

A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.

Congratulations, Katalina! #WeAreAzle #HornetPride #HornetsInAction

Learn more about the National Merit Scholarship Program.