Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 13:35     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eH4WYg3mc8FIb9IhZGqvbIbcVIjXziJF/view

If you believe the link above, which seems fairly legitimate, we have the names already.


The National Merit people say the list of semifinalists is distributed to the media. It's likely that someone in the media shared it with MCPS.

"Note: This press release was distributed to news media on September 9 with
a list of Semifinalists to encourage public recognition of these outstanding
students. The release is made available here to provide information about the
National Merit Scholarship Program, however the names of Semifinalists are
not posted on this website."

https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/26_meritsemi.pdf?gid=2&pgid=61&sessionid=29a06782-501e-4046-b9b0-d0d3a4f3e723&cc=1
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 13:04     Subject: NMSF
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eH4WYg3mc8FIb9IhZGqvbIbcVIjXziJF/view

If you believe the link above, which seems fairly legitimate, we have the names already.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 13:01     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:MCPS- what is up? Tell us the National
Merit Semi-Finalists, per school, please.


Around the time that I stopped being PIO for MCPS (2015), I believe the NMSC stopped providing the list of semi-finalists to school districts. They may have provided them to schools, but the lists were inaccurate. I think that's when MCPS stopped listing semi-finalists and only listed the finalists and winners. I was fine with it, honestly, but not everyone agreed! (Shocking, I know...) Some districts will gather the names and publish them.

Dana Tofig
MCPS Public Information Officer (2009-2015).
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 12:12     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:Oh Goodie, let's teach the kids that they have to beg from corporations to get college money. Well the thing is after they graduate with debt and no employment they can join the millions of people who will be in college debt and a low wage job for the rest of their lives. God bless Charlie. He taught us that college is a scam but their is no consumer protections for these education scams.


Take your political psychobabble elsewhere. This thread is about kids who are in the top 1% of their state.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 12:03     Subject: NMSF
Oh Goodie, let's teach the kids that they have to beg from corporations to get college money. Well the thing is after they graduate with debt and no employment they can join the millions of people who will be in college debt and a low wage job for the rest of their lives. God bless Charlie. He taught us that college is a scam but their is no consumer protections for these education scams.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 11:52     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Well, the first two are selective magnets that draw from across the county -- everyone has already acknowledged they are the top of top which is why kids from the W neighborhoods trek across town to go to them. Once you take them out, 4 of the top 5 are the so-called W schools. Poolesville has had a rising star for a while (and also has a magnet), but well done to them. WJ has been the most socio-economically diverse of the W's for many years now, plus it is probably the most over-crowded and overwhelmed school in the county, so not really a surprise that it's bringing up the bottom on the W's.


BCC and Whitman send comparatively few kids to the magnets. It's too far away, and the course offerings are good enough.


Are there stats on that? My kid went to RM and had several friends from the Whitman catch area (not BCC since they have their own IB program). Both Blaire and RM have programs that are really distinct from the AP courses on offer at places like Whitman.


There was a really long thread about the home schools of those in the magnet programs eariler this year based on data posted by MCPS of home school of magnet participants. I can't find it now, but basically, over 40% of students in Blair SMCS come from only two schools (Churchill and Wootton).

Here it is.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1284587.page
And here's the data itself.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DJVQ56678E2B/$file/Attachment%20D%20SY2025%20Student%20Enrollment%20Countywide%20Programs%20250724.pdf
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 11:38     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Well, the first two are selective magnets that draw from across the county -- everyone has already acknowledged they are the top of top which is why kids from the W neighborhoods trek across town to go to them. Once you take them out, 4 of the top 5 are the so-called W schools. Poolesville has had a rising star for a while (and also has a magnet), but well done to them. WJ has been the most socio-economically diverse of the W's for many years now, plus it is probably the most over-crowded and overwhelmed school in the county, so not really a surprise that it's bringing up the bottom on the W's.


BCC and Whitman send comparatively few kids to the magnets. It's too far away, and the course offerings are good enough.


Are there stats on that? My kid went to RM and had several friends from the Whitman catch area (not BCC since they have their own IB program). Both Blaire and RM have programs that are really distinct from the AP courses on offer at places like Whitman.


There was a really long thread about the home schools of those in the magnet programs eariler this year based on data posted by MCPS of home school of magnet participants. I can't find it now, but basically, over 40% of students in Blair SMCS come from only two schools (Churchill and Wootton).
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 11:27     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Well, the first two are selective magnets that draw from across the county -- everyone has already acknowledged they are the top of top which is why kids from the W neighborhoods trek across town to go to them. Once you take them out, 4 of the top 5 are the so-called W schools. Poolesville has had a rising star for a while (and also has a magnet), but well done to them. WJ has been the most socio-economically diverse of the W's for many years now, plus it is probably the most over-crowded and overwhelmed school in the county, so not really a surprise that it's bringing up the bottom on the W's.


BCC and Whitman send comparatively few kids to the magnets. It's too far away, and the course offerings are good enough.


Are there stats on that? My kid went to RM and had several friends from the Whitman catch area (not BCC since they have their own IB program). Both Blaire and RM have programs that are really distinct from the AP courses on offer at places like Whitman.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 10:01     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Well, the first two are selective magnets that draw from across the county -- everyone has already acknowledged they are the top of top which is why kids from the W neighborhoods trek across town to go to them. Once you take them out, 4 of the top 5 are the so-called W schools. Poolesville has had a rising star for a while (and also has a magnet), but well done to them. WJ has been the most socio-economically diverse of the W's for many years now, plus it is probably the most over-crowded and overwhelmed school in the county, so not really a surprise that it's bringing up the bottom on the W's.


BCC and Whitman send comparatively few kids to the magnets. It's too far away, and the course offerings are good enough.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 09:58     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Well, the first two are selective magnets that draw from across the county -- everyone has already acknowledged they are the top of top which is why kids from the W neighborhoods trek across town to go to them. Once you take them out, 4 of the top 5 are the so-called W schools. Poolesville has had a rising star for a while (and also has a magnet), but well done to them. WJ has been the most socio-economically diverse of the W's for many years now, plus it is probably the most over-crowded and overwhelmed school in the county, so not really a surprise that it's bringing up the bottom on the W's.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 09:31     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:I don't yet have a high schooler -- but what does being a semifinalist, vs a finalist or a winner, mean? When are winners selected? Do winners get scholarship money?


LMGTFY

https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/blog.aspx?pgid=1910&gid=2&cid=1381
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2025 22:40     Subject: NMSF
I don't yet have a high schooler -- but what does being a semifinalist, vs a finalist or a winner, mean? When are winners selected? Do winners get scholarship money?
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2025 18:46     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Curious what "supremacy" looks like to you.

Also, only 99%ile get NMSF.

You can look at other measures like school average SAT to see mass differences.


This thread is about NMSF which is by definition the top 1 pct of scorers of the state. You can run along to another thread if you can’t stay on topic.
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2025 18:43     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:This list doesn't really point to the supremacy of the W schools.

RM: 37
Blair: 36
Poolsville: 17
Churchill: 12
BCC: 11
Whitman: 10
WJ: 7
Wootton: 7
Springbrook: 3
Wheaton: 3
NW: 2
Sherwood: 1


Curious what "supremacy" looks like to you.

Also, only 99%ile get NMSF.

You can look at other measures like school average SAT to see mass differences.
Anonymous
Post 09/14/2025 17:30     Subject: NMSF
Anonymous wrote:Are you saying the finalists aren't informed before they publish the list?


Correct. Kids know the cutoff for the state and they know their own score, but MCPS posted the official list in their press release before the school confirmed with my kid.