Queensbury High School senior Christopher DiPlacido is a finalist in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Chris is one of 15,000 finalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program, which recognizes academically talented high school seniors.
After being named a semifinalist in October, Chris filled out a detailed scholarship application and was selected to move on to the next level as a finalist. Approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
Christopher received a 1500 out of a possible 1520 on the PSAT with a perfect score on the math portion.
“That was really exciting,” Christopher said. “I was definitely shocked about it, especially because I walked out feeling like I didn’t do that well.”
Christopher hopes to study at either Cornell University or Tufts University in the fall and is undecided on a major.
Christopher serves as the president of the Student Senate and as a student liaison to the Queensbury UFSD Board of Education. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Math Club, Mock Trial and Captain’s Club. The full International Baccalaureate Diploma candidate is also captain of the varsity cross country team, varsity track and field team, and varsity Nordic skiing team, which just won the state championship.
As a finalist, Chris will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded. Winners will be announced starting in April.
“I’m really grateful for this honor,” he said. “Hopefully, I can move on and earn a scholarship. Especially with those big private schools, any money is helpful.”