24 APS Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists

Posted September 23, 2025, 3:25 PM. Updated September 24, 2025, 10:59 AM.

Designation recognizes nation's top academic performers.

Twenty-four Albuquerque Public Schools high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The designation goes to the students who received the highest scores on the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Fewer than one percent of U.S. high school seniors qualify as semifinalists.

La Cueva High has 13 semifinalists, more than any other APS high school.

More than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools took the PSAT in 2024. Of those, about 16,000 were named semifinalists and are eligible to compete for nearly $26 million in National Merit Scholarships.

The 2026 APS Semifinalists

Albuquerque High School

Aspen Desilets
Aidan A. Rivera-Graham
Tristan Witt

Early College Academy

Galen Yane

Eldorado High School

Alexis Arellano
Dylan Dencklau
William McGlumphy
Jess Sanders
Philip Satterthwait
Andrew Shaw

La Cueva High School

Roran Hensley
Hiro Jau
Allison M. Jones
Pranav Joshi
Joseph N. Kerlinsky
Yu Liu
Nathan T. Lupinetti
Ayla J. McFall
Reyhan Rahim
Rubaina Reza
Anna R. Richardson
Aubrey M. Stuart
Giles C. Yarrington

Sandia High School

Leila Graham