Killeen ISD has five seniors recognized this year through the National Merit Program for top performances on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) during their junior year.
“The dedication these students have put into their studies to earn this designation is tremendous,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. King Davis. “I am proud of their hard work and proud that they are being recognized for their efforts.”
Harker Heights High School senior Alexander Kim was named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. To qualify as a National Merit semifinalist, the students’ high scores on the PSAT placed them in the top 1 percent of more than 1.5 million students who took the test last fall. As the next step in the scholarship competition, Kim will submit essays, recommendations and additional test scores to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Four Killeen ISD seniors were named a National Merit Commended Scholar for 2025. They include Malakai Thornton from Killeen High School; Thomas Pauley from Early College High School; and Joshua Duenas and Hannah Shin from Harker Heights High School. Ranked in the top 5 percent in the nation for scores on the PSAT, these students are among about 34,000 selected as commended students out of 1.5 million who took the test last fall.
“We’re extremely proud of the accomplishments of our Advanced Academics students,” said Jennifer Roden, KISD’s Director of Advanced Academics. “To have students recognized at multiple campuses across our district reflects the talent, dedication, and hard work of both our students and educators. We’re honored to celebrate this success districtwide.”