National merit 2026?

[Anonymous]

A lot of regular suburban non-magnet public schools up North are better than a lot of private schools in the South. (Southern private school parent)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Because some states/school districts have a lot more resources. I personally think the current approach is fair.

I think that the system is generally fair. As a public school teacher in DC, I think that DC's scores are inflated by kids who come into DC for private school from MD and VA. I think it's hard when there are lower income kids in DC whose score would get them NMSF in almost every other state, who don't get NMSF, in state tuition, or in state financial aid. I know a kid like this whose scores would have qualified in any state except DC, NJ, and MA, and who would have qualified in DC if their scores were flipped.

DC has by definition the highest cut off. It's not fair, but just another consequence of lack of statehood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Because some states/school districts have a lot more resources. I personally think the current approach is fair.

I think that the system is generally fair. As a public school teacher in DC, I think that DC's scores are inflated by kids who come into DC for private school from MD and VA. I think it's hard when there are lower income kids in DC whose score would get them NMSF in almost every other state, who don't get NMSF, in state tuition, or in state financial aid. I know a kid like this whose scores would have qualified in any state except DC, NJ, and MA, and who would have qualified in DC if their scores were flipped.

DC has by definition the highest cut off. It's not fair, but just another consequence of lack of statehood.

Huh? DC’s already being treated like a state, so how would statehood change the cutoff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Agree! Especially now that some states are seriously dumbing down education and removing entire concepts. Kids who learn more should not be penalized.
And resources is a lame reason- in any given state, there are people on the whole spectrum of resources

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Because it is an award for highest scores in each state. It's not a actually a national award.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Because some states/school districts have a lot more resources. I personally think the current approach is fair.

I think that the system is generally fair. As a public school teacher in DC, I think that DC's scores are inflated by kids who come into DC for private school from MD and VA. I think it's hard when there are lower income kids in DC whose score would get them NMSF in almost every other state, who don't get NMSF, in state tuition, or in state financial aid. I know a kid like this whose scores would have qualified in any state except DC, NJ, and MA, and who would have qualified in DC if their scores were flipped.

DC has by definition the highest cut off. It's not fair, but just another consequence of lack of statehood.

Huh? DC’s already being treated like a state, so how would statehood change the cutoff?

DC isn’t actually treated like a state. States have a cutoff determined by the scores of the students who go to school in that state. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam) have a cutoff that matches the lowest state. Except that in DC that rule would produce too many NMSFs, so they just arbitrarily set the cutoff to match the highest state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was just reported that New Jersey's cutoff is 225!!!

wasn't it 224 last year?

[Anonymous]

It was 223 last year.

Can anyone report their kid’s index score that made semifinalist cut off for DC or MD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was 223 last year.

Can anyone report their kid’s index score that made semifinalist cut off for DC or MD?

Or VA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally think having different cutoffs for different states is bogus. Why should one kid be a NMSF with a 212 while a kid with a 222 in another state is not?

Because some states/school districts have a lot more resources. I personally think the current approach is fair.

Last year, students from Title 1 schools in Massachusetts had to score 222 to be semifinalists, and private school students in the wealthiest Mississippi enclaves only had to score 209.

My kid in public school in NJ got a 219 and won't qualify for SF, but if she instead had gone to the private high school in TN that I attended, she would have. How is that right?

Your kid is not in top 1% in NJ but would be in top 1% in TN. Why is that wrong?

Because state cutoffs are inherently arbitrary.

it's not. top 1%. nothing arbitrary about it. you are just upset b/c your kid didn't make the cut and i can understand that

The wealthiest kids in Charleston, who benefit from every advantage, can score lower than a large majority of semifinalists from other states and still make the semifinalist cutoff; meanwhile, kids growing up in poverty in Baltimore can achieve excellence against all odds, score higher than 99.5% of all test takers, and still not get semifinalist status. Pretending that everyone in the same state has a level playing field is ridiculous.

If the Baltimore kids are that good, they will get free rides at Princeton without being NMFs. Nobody will be harmed in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was 223 last year.

Can anyone report their kid’s index score that made semifinalist cut off for DC or MD?

I don’t think many schools have informed their students yet. DC’s private school in MD hasn’t. (DC had a perfect score so should be getting the news)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was 223 last year.

Can anyone report their kid’s index score that made semifinalist cut off for DC or MD?

I don’t think many schools have informed their students yet. DC’s private school in MD hasn’t. (DC had a perfect score so should be getting the news)

Homeschoolers who qualify get the letters sent straight to their homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was 223 last year.

Can anyone report their kid’s index score that made semifinalist cut off for DC or MD?

Or VA?

Compass Prep is reporting that VA is 223 or 224.

[Anonymous]

wowsa. so DC will be 225 this year? Pretty close to perfect. my kid had something like 222 last year--would have been a scholar in something like 45 states but not DC.

[Anonymous]

I'm the parent of the 222 kid above. It sucks, but in the end, NMSQT is not all that important, especially since my kid is not interested in any of the schools that provide scholarships to NM scholars. Moving on...