We are proud to announce that Quincy Orcutt, a senior at Pryor High School, has been named a Semifinalist in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Orcutt brings the same dedication to the technical and creative sides of his education, challenging himself through upper-level mathematics and the district’s STEM and Fine Arts programs. We caught up with him as he completed lightboard training for his role as lead lighting engineer at the AVRA Performing Arts Center. He is also applying his academic interests through a STEM Capstone project at the PHS Innovation Center. Together, these experiences reflect Orcutt’s talents and his commitment to learning across disciplines.

More than 1.2 million juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as the initial screening process.

Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and include the highest-scoring students in each state. The number selected from each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating seniors.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Semifinalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $24 million. These scholarships will be awarded in spring 2027.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists must meet several academic and application requirements to advance to the Finalist level.

Congratulations to Quincy Orcutt on this outstanding achievement and for representing Pryor High School with excellence.