ROME– Rome High School senior Isha Garg has been named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist for 2027. The honor places her among more than 16,000 students selected nationwide.

Rome City Schools announced the recognition in a release dated Sept. 14. Garg is part of the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Rome High School Principal Dr. Christy Epps called the recognition “an outstanding accomplishment” that reflects Garg’s hard work and dedication. Epps said the school is proud of Garg and looks forward to her future accomplishments.

Academic Achievement and Leadership

The honor adds to Garg’s record of academic success. This summer, she participated in the Governor’s Honors Program with a concentration in biology.

Garg is also an AP Scholar with Distinction. To earn that designation, students must average at least 3.5 across all Advanced Placement exams and score 3 or higher on at least five exams.

Last fall, Rome High School presented Garg with a High 5 Medal. The award recognized her score of 5 on at least one AP exam.

Garg is also active in student leadership and athletics. She serves as vice president of the National Honor Society and as student body treasurer. In addition, she is co-president of the Georgia Students Against Destructive Driving Student Leadership Council.

She also captains the Rome High varsity tennis team and plays No. 1 singles for the Wolves.

National Merit Competition

More than 1.2 million juniors from about 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 competition. They took the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as the program’s initial screening.

The semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

More than 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to finalist standing. Those students are scheduled to receive notification in February.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, approximately half of the finalists will receive scholarships. About 6,700 awards worth a combined $24 million will be offered next spring.

Scholarship winners will be announced in stages from April through July 2027.