More than 260 of Alabama’s high school seniors from public and private schools and homeschool were named as National Merit Semifinalists on Wednesday. More than 16,000 students were named Semifinalists nationwide.

All names are found in the table at the end of this article.

The semifinalists were among 1.3 million juniors enrolled in 21,000 high schools who took the Preliminary SAT, or PSAT as juniors last October. Cutoff scores are created at the state level, and these students had the top scores of all Alabama students who took the PSAT.

According to the College Board, which oversees administration of the PSAT, 8,650, or 15% of the 56,100 juniors expecting to graduate in the Class of 2023 took the PSAT during the 2021-22 school year, the latest year for which data is available.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation cautions the public not to compare the number of semifinalists at each school, saying it will result in “erroneous conclusions.”

“The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within a school, system or state,” the organization said in its announcement. “The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.”

Read more: These Alabama high schools do a great job preparing students for college, careers.

Semifinalists can choose to compete for more than 7,100 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be awarded in Spring 2024.

That competition includes completing a detailed application that includes information about their academic record, leadership abilities, community and school activities, employment and any honors and awards the Semifinalist received. The student must also write an essay, be recommended by a high school official and earn a qualifying score on the SAT or ACT.

The corporation is a nonprofit organization established in 1955. Around 320 business organizations and institutes of higher education, together with NMSC, underwrite scholarships for students who become finalists.

About 95% of Semifinalists are expected to become Finalists, named in February.

The PSAT is given by schools in October and costs $18. The PSAT is now a digital exam and takes just over two hours to complete. Students are not required to take the PSAT.

See the Semifinalists in the table below.