The Gunston School is proud to announce that four members of the Class of 2026 have been named Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. This distinguished recognition is awarded to students who placed among the top 50,000 scorers out of more than 1.5 million high school students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in October 2024. This recognition places these students among the top 3-4% of all test-takers nationwide.
The following students from the Class of 2026 were honored for their outstanding academic promise: Kate Andrews ’26, Soren (Arlo) Badger ’26, Eamon Schopfer ’26, and Lucas Watkins ’26.
“This is among the highest academic honors a student can achieve. We couldn’t be prouder of Kate, Arlo, Eamon, and Lucas. This recognition is a direct result of their remarkable intellectual curiosity and dedication to their studies,” said Head of School John Lewis. “The National Merit Commended Scholar achievement is a fantastic milestone in their college journey, and we look forward to continuing to work with them through our college guidance program as they explore their options and build on this success.”
Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis, Kate Andrews ’26, Eamon Schopfer ’26, Soren (Arlo) Badger ’26, Lucas Watkins ’26 and Head of School John Lewis.
Founded in 1911 and currently enrolling 256 students, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information.



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