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Coppell High School Leads the State with 48 National Merit Semifinalists; CISD Has 49 Total

Comm Team

September 9, 2026

Coppell ISD is celebrating 49 students who have been chosen as Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, including 48 students from Coppell High School and one student from New Tech High @ Coppell. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Coppell High School has the highest number of semifinalists among Texas high schools, including public, private and charter high schools in Texas. 

“This achievement is a powerful reflection of the support of our parents and families, as well as our students’ dedication, our educators’ commitment and the strong academic foundation that begins across Coppell ISD,” Superintendent Dr. Leanne Shivers said. “We are incredibly proud of these 49 students and grateful to the teachers, counselors, staff members and families who have supported them throughout their educational journey. In Coppell ISD, success truly starts here.”

Imnfographic titled “CISD National Merit Semifinalists for 2026-2027 School Year” showing 49 total semifinalists. It states that CISD semifinalists represent all elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. Under “Started in Elementary,” it says 40 students started their education in a CISD elementary school, 1 student attended another local school district, 7 students attended an elementary school out of state or out of the country, and 1 student attended a charter elementary school. Under “Attended CISD Middle School,” it says 45 students attended a Coppell ISD middle school, 1 student attended another local school district, 2 students attended a middle school out of state or out of the country, and 1 student attended a charter middle school. The graphic also states Coppell High School has 48 semifinalists and is ranked number 1 in Texas for the most semifinalists among public, private and charter high schools, while New Tech High @ Coppell has 1 semifinalist.age

Of the 49 semifinalists, 40 began their CISD journey in elementary school, with the others attending an elementary school out of the district, state or country. All CISD elementary schools are represented among the students’ educational experiences. In addition, 45 of the semifinalists attended a CISD middle school, with the others attending a school out of the district, state or country. All three CISD middle schools are represented amongst the semifinalists.

These connections underscore the district’s belief that strong academic outcomes are built through a K-12 public school commitment to student learning, opportunity and support.

National Merit Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. At Coppell High School, 48 students earned this prestigious honor, making up 4.63 percent of the senior class of 1,036, which is more than four times the national average.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this remarkable group of Coppell High School students,” CHS Principal Laura Springer said. “Their recognition as National Merit Semifinalists represents years of hard work, curiosity and perseverance. It also reflects the collective impact of our CHS teachers and staff, as well as the strong foundation these students build in elementary and middle school and at CHS9.”

New Tech High @ Coppell Principal Zane Porter said, “New Tech High @ Coppell is proud to celebrate Ishaana Vishwanath and this outstanding recognition. This honor speaks to the high academic standards and personalized, future-focused and project-based learning experiences that help our learners grow as scholars, collaborators and leaders.”

National Merit Semifinalists are among the highest-scoring entrants in each state on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Semifinalists may continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in 2027.

Coppell High School Semifinalists:

  1. Ritvesh Achivenkata

  2. Abhinav Agnihotri

  3. Prajwal Amara

  4. Anvitha Desaraju

  5. Vihaan Dhanapalaksha

  6. Nakul Gadicherla

  7. Siddhanth GunniyaSaravanaBabu

  8. Srikar Gutta

  9. Ava Hong

  10. Azlan Junaid

  11. Daham Karunadasa

  12. Karan Khambete

  13. Shawroj Khan

  14. Joel Kim

  15. Satvik Kolathaya

  16. Mahathi Kumar

  17. Sahana Kumar

  18. Akshajram Kurva

  19. Meghana Linga

  20. Andrew Ma

  21. Eshan Mahimkar

  22. Yalini Muthukumar

  23. Anirudh Naveen

  24. Aditya Neppalli

  25. Shogo Nishino

  26. Shreehan Pathak

  27. Nitin Pathapati

  28. Hailey Phung

  29. Thrinay Raghavan

  30. Diya Rajan

  31. Nuthana Ramaneedi

  32. Aadil Salihu

  33. Nivedita Sankar

  34. Prathi Tamara SathishKumar

  35. Merin Sebastian

  36. Deeksha Shetty

  37. Nikita Shibu

  38. Ryan Srivastava

  39. Cannon Stehly

  40. Riya Suresh

  41. Pranav Suryadevara

  42. Sonja Taavettila

  43. Lillian Tainter

  44. Joyce Tao

  45. Vinayak Vipinachandran Subha

  46. Emma Wei

  47. Jayanth Yamunan

  48. Alex Yang

New Tech High @ Coppell Semifinalist

49. Ishaana Vishwanath

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit www.nationalmerit.org.