Rye High School senior Grace Wang has been named a recipient of a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic honors. She was selected from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program and she is among approximately 2,500 students nationwide to receive the award.
“This recognition reflects not only her exceptional academic achievement, but also her dedication, intellectual curiosity and love for learning both inside and outside the classroom,” Principal Andrew Hara said. “In addition to her academic accomplishments, Grace is kind, compassionate and deeply admired by both faculty and peers.”
Wang entered the highly competitive program as a junior along with more than 1.3 million students by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of entrants. The highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, advanced to semifinalist standing. Wang continued in the competition as one of the nation’s highest-achieving scholars.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Program, scholarship winners are selected from among the finalists who demonstrate the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Selection criteria also include academic records, PSAT/NMSQT scores, leadership and contributions to school activities.
Wang will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, where she plans to major in neuroscience.