Beaufort County School District students named semifinalists in 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Program

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Two high school seniors Maggie McGrath of Hilton Head Island High School and Kaden Claffy of May River High School have been named Semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit® Scholarship Program.

McGrath and Claffy represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and are among more than 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide. Over 1.2 million juniors across approximately 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen.

“We are extraordinarily proud of Maggie and Kaden for earning this prestigious recognition,” said Superintendent Frank Rodriguez. “Their dedication to academic excellence highlights the strength of our educators and the ambition of our students across Beaufort County School District.”

To qualify as a Finalist, each Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed application detailing the student’s academic record, leadership capabilities, extracurricular and community involvement, employment, honors, an essay, and confirming SAT® or ACT® test scores.

Finalists will compete for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships valued at nearly $24 million. National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide releases between April and July 2027.