Lex Davidson, a senior at Magnolia Heights School, has been named a semifinalist in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Davidson, the son of Cody Davidson and Amanda Stone-Davidson, is one of over 100 academically talented Mississippi high school seniors competing for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered in the spring.
A member of the clay sports shooting team at Magnolia Heights, Davidson scored a 1490 on the SAT and 34 on the ACT. He had a selection index score of 214. Davidson plans to attend either the University of Alabama and major in constructional or mechanical engineering or Auburn University to enter the building construction science program.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will claim a National Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar title.
Student semifinalists are endorsed by an official from their high school with a detailed scholarship application including information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.
A semifinalist is required to have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores confirming the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Scholarships are underwritten using funds from NMSC and approximately 300 business organizations, higher education institutions and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join approximately 389,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
