Waukesha Times

Brookfield Central High School has announced that 13 of its students have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. This achievement places them among the top academic performers in the nation, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. Over 1.3 million juniors entered the program by taking the PSAT. Brookfield Central has the most semifinalists in Waukesha County and the third most in Wisconsin.

The National Merit Scholarship Program, established in 1955, recognizes and honors the academic accomplishments of students who take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). As semifinalists, these students have demonstrated outstanding academic abilities and will now advance to compete for finalist status and potential scholarship awards in the spring.

“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication these students have shown to earn this prestigious recognition,” said Brett Gruetzmacher, principal of Brookfield Central High School. “Their academic excellence reflects their commitment to learning, and they serve as role models for our entire school community.”

The semifinalists from Brookfield Central High School are Rawan Ahmed, Viraj Bhagat, Alice Chen, Saathvik Gowda, Swara Inamdar, Swar Khopkar, Avaneesh Muralidharan, Arnav Nandakumar, Meera Rao, Kartik Ramachandrula, Jonathan Rossi, Theodore Stull and Joshua Wang. 

Each semifinalist will now have the opportunity to submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes their academic record, extracurricular involvement, leadership qualities, and a personal essay. Approximately 15,000 finalists will be named in February 2025.