South Ripley Senior Named Commended Student in National Merit Scholarship Program

Approximately 34,000 Commended Students across the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.

Photo by South Ripley Schools.

(Versailles, Ind.) - South Ripley High School Principal Derik Hutton announced that senior Tanner McCarty has been named a Commended Student in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.

McCarty will receive a Letter of Commendation from South Ripley High School and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, in recognition of his outstanding academic achievement.

Approximately 34,000 Commended Students across the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, they placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” said a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The organization noted that recognizing these students’ accomplishments, along with the important role their schools play in their academic development, helps advance educational excellence nationwide. National Merit officials hope the recognition will broaden students’ educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue pursuing academic success.

Earning Commended Student status equates to being in the top 3–4% of all PSAT/NMSQT takers nationally