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Aledo High School senior James Leising was named a National Merit Semifinalist

Congrats National Merit Semifinalist James Leising graphic

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Aledo High School senior James Leising was named a National Merit Semifinalist in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Over 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. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. National Merit Finalists will be notified in February.

James is one of the drum majors for the Aledo High School Bearcat Regiment. In addition for his love of marching band and playing the oboe, he has an intense interest in aerospace engineering.