Two Encinitas high school seniors were named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.

John John Garner of The Grauer School and Anya Rocha of San Dieguito High School Academy earned the designation when the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) released its list Wednesday, Sept. 9. They are among 190 San Diego County seniors and more than 16,000 students nationwide selected as semifinalists.

Both attend Encinitas schools.

The semifinalists were chosen from more than 1.2 million high school juniors who took the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Only the highest-scoring entrants in each state advanced, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, according to Patch.

The Mercury News independently confirmed both The Grauer School and San Dieguito Academy on California's semifinalist list published Sept. 9.

What comes next

Garner and Rocha now compete for roughly 6,700 scholarships worth a combined $24 million. To advance to finalist status, semifinalists must submit an application covering their academic record, extracurricular activities, leadership, employment and honors. They also need a school endorsement, an essay and SAT or ACT scores that confirm their qualifying-test performance.

About 95% of semifinalists nationally are expected to earn finalist standing, with notifications going out in February 2027, according to a TapInto report on the program. Scholarship winners will be announced in four rounds from April through July 2027.

Three types of awards are on the table: 2,500 National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 each, distributed on a state-representational basis; about 700 corporate-sponsored awards; and roughly 3,500 college-sponsored awards.

San Diego County's 190 semifinalists come from schools across 12 communities, including Carlsbad, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista. Families can watch for finalist notifications in February 2027.