KCS Students Earn National Merit Scholarships

Knox County Schools students are among the recipients of prestigious 2026 National Merit Scholarships awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, recognizing exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and potential for success in college. Selected from more than 15,000 finalists nationwide, students are chosen based on academic records, PSAT/NMSQT scores, school and community involvement, essays, and recommendations.

Recipients of the 2026 National Merit $2500 Scholarship include:

Jelena Armsworth — L&N STEM Academy
Yejoon Ham — Bearden High
Nuoyan Li — Farragut High
Sophia Chen — Farragut High
Adithya Vignesh Sastry — Farragut High

Students from Farragut High and L&N STEM Academy were also among the latest recipients of Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarships, which are funded by businesses, foundations, and organizations across the country to support continued study in fields such as engineering, science, and technology.

All KCS corporate-sponsored winners received a Battelle Scholarship, including:

Jessie An — Farragut High
Albert Liu — Farragut High
Isabel Kao — Farragut High
Hisato Kurosaki — Farragut High
Zhiyan Leyton Lu — Farragut High
Emily Xu — Farragut High
Lucas Guss — L&N STEM
Nicholas T. Yarkhan — L&N STEM

These honors highlight the outstanding academic performance and leadership of KCS students as they prepare for future success in college and beyond.