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The following was submitted by Austin Preparatory School:
Austin Preparatory School is proud to announce that Winchester resident Cecilia Goldsmith, a student at Austin Prep in Reading, has been named a Commended Student in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, an honor awarded to just 34,000 students nationwide. This distinction places her among the top 0.75% of all high school juniors in the United States.
Out of an estimated 4.5 million juniors nationwide, about 1.3 million entered the competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT, from which the Commended Students were selected.
Commended Students are recognized for their exceptional academic promise and placed among the most academically accomplished high school seniors in the United States.
“Cecilia’s recognition is a testament to the intellectual energy and character that she brings to our community,” said James Hickey, Ph.D., Head of School. “She exemplifies what it means to pair talent with dedication, and we are excited to see how she will continue to grow and contribute.”
“One thing that helped me to succeed on the PSAT test was the excellent teachers I’ve learned from at Austin Prep. Their guidance on how to best approach questions and build study strategies was very useful and I performed better because of that,” said Goldsmith. “The quality of their instruction has extended beyond test preparation to all of my classes throughout my time at AP and I’m extremely appreciative of their support.”
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Commended Students represent a “valuable national resource,” and their recognition is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in the nation.
Austin Preparatory School is an independent, Augustinian Catholic school serving young men and women in grades 6–12, located in Reading, Mass.
